Sao Paolo, one of Brazil's biggest clubs, is being linked with River Plate coach Manuel Pellegrini after a club official yesterday described him as the "ideal" candidate to replace Oswaldo de Oliveira, who was sacked over two weeks ago. Paulino vice president Marcio Arana admitted that Pellegrini was the preferred choice to lead the club forward - and that the Chilean has been in their sights for a long time. "Pellegrini is the ideal coach for Sao Paolo. I am not just saying that today, I said it when he coached San Lorenzo," said Arana to The Gazeta of Sao Paolo. Pellegrini, who took over from River legend Ramon Diaz at Nunes last year, had to overcome a sticky patch in charge of Los Milonarios but is now enjoying booming fortunes with the Monumental-based club, who top the league and are in the last eight of the Libertadores. Having carved out a formidable reputation at Lorenzo, where he won the 2000 Clausura and the 2001 Copa Mercosur (Lorenzo also won last year's Copa Sudamericana with a squad largely built by Pellegrini), Pellegrini had to endure a disastrous Apertura and a torrid early start to the current Clausura, but a run that netted River only one win in their first nine games gave way to a nine match winning run and last week's memorable defeat of Corinthians in the Morumbi. That 2-1 victory, which sent the Paulista club hurtling from the Libertadores, drew Pellegrini a lot of admirers in the Brazilian press. Sao Paolo are currently led by Roberto 'the Condor' Rojas, the goalkeeping coach, and like Pellegrini a Chilean. Gremio tactician Adenor Bachi, or Tite, reportedly poured water on the rumours linking him to the Morumbi, while Santos and former Brazil coach Emerson Leao is another man on Sao Paolo's wish-list. But despite the speculation, Sao Paolo's director of football, Juvenal Juvencio, insists that there is no hurry to fill Oliveira's shoes, although he did hint that "the names have been chosen." The club has good reason to be fastidious in its selection. Their demanding supporters, yearning for the glory days of the early 1990s, when the iconic Tele Santana led the club to two Libertadores and two Intercontinental titles, are notoriously difficult to sate. They booed Oliveira repeatedly - even after victories; they jeered the team after his departure; they heckled last week when Sao Paolo were knocked out of the Copa do Brasil; insulted the club's best player Kaka, who they feel is committed only to finding a European home. Disgusted, less than 4.000 turned up to watch the 2-0 victory over Parana in the Brasileirao on Sunday. The win catapulted Sao Paolo from 10th to fourth, yet still they booed.
Would this be the Rojas that allegedly got whacked in the face with a Roman candle in 1989 during a qualifier against Brazil in Rio and caused his country to be eliminated from international competition for 6 years?