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River Appoints Leonardo Ponzio as Interim Coach After Coudet Resigns

The club has left the interinato open-ended to stabilize results while it conducts a measured search for a permanent manager.

Overview

  • Eduardo Coudet resigned following River’s Copa Sudamericana exit and poor domestic form, and the club confirmed Leonardo Ponzio as interim coach after the club press conference on Friday, August 27.
  • Ponzio will work with a club-based staff that includes Marcelo Escudero and Christian Manfredi as assistants, Cristian Segura and Nicolás Paolorossi as fitness coaches, and Marcelo Barovero as goalkeeper coach.
  • Ponzio led his first training at the Predio de Cantilo and will make his managerial debut this Sunday when River visits Banfield at Estadio Florencio Sola.
  • The board said it will take time to pick a permanent manager and is monitoring several candidates—including Ramón Díaz, Hernán Crespo, Gabriel Milito, Santiago Solari, Pablo Aimar and Eduardo Domínguez—while noting that contracts and buyouts complicate negotiations.
  • River faces urgent sporting and financial pressure: the team sits low in the Clausura table, risks missing continental qualification and must improve results quickly to protect revenue and the club’s season plan.