Ricardo Gareca's speech that went viral amid the social conflict in Peru

Peruvian society is going through a delicate current situation due to demonstrations against a series of government measures that directly affected the pocket of the workers. The result of the riots in recent days was 4 dead. President Pedro Castillo even announced the State of Emergency in Lima, where the ball also rolled on Tuesday (Sporting Cristal-Flamengo, behind closed doors) and Wednesday (Alianza Lima-River, with an audience) for Copa Libertadores at the National Stadium. The one who took the floor was Ricardo Gareca, who gave a speech that quickly scanned social media.

El Tigre began its last press conference by sending a “big hug” to all of Peru and expressing that “the important thing is to be more united than ever to get out of this situation.” And among comments on the immediate future of the national team, who will play a repechage to go to the Qatar 2022 World Cup against the winner of the continental repechage that will face the United Arab Emirates and Australia in June, he dedicated words to the complicated social present in Peruvian territory.

“I'm not interested in talking about politics, I'm interested in talking about sports. Since I couldn't get out (because of the curfew) I spent the whole morning watching news programs with everything that has to do with social reality, which is worrying. The sport here doesn't interest them, they don't care. That is a concern for me. At no time was it reported what was going to happen to the match between Sporting Cristal and Flamengo. Not a news story, not a news flash”, the Argentine strategist showed his indignation.

And he emboldened himself: “Peru needs to have boys who compete and the only way is through sports, there is no other way. Sport and education. If you get a competitive, educated citizen... but it's something that floats in the air. When will all that be seen? May God willing at some point, in some years, enlighten Peru because of the great Peruvian capacity, for the wonderful people they have, who have unfortunately abandoned them, and because of all the shortcomings that a country has that all it wants is to work.”

Gareca, who landed in Peru ahead of the 2018 Russian Qualifiers and qualified Albirroja to a World Cup after 36 years, has full support at the local level. That is why his words went viral on the networks: “Young people, people, those who go out looking for work every day, want the opportunity to work and grow, essentially to grow. They have more than 60% of informality, you have to go out to work and look for the daily one because there is no place to eat. All you want is for the people to have access to all these possibilities.”

Meanwhile, he pledged the journalists present at the press conference: “It is everyone's task, yours too. You have to be committed because you are the ones who report and say what is happening. Not only is it my duty to speak up for being the coach of the national team, but also yours for telling the reality of what is happening and pressing on what is happening. If it is not very difficult for Peru to grow, for institutions and clubs to grow.”

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