Ecuador's struggling Deportivo Cuenca hires Paez as coach

Guayaquil (Ecuador), June 19 (IANS) Former Venezuelan national team coach Richard Paez is set to take the helm of struggling football club Deportivo Cuenca, team officials said.

"Management has decided to go with Paez's experience," a team representative told Efe on Monday.

The club's poor performance led to the ouster of Argentine coach Anibal Biggeri and prompted his replacement, Uruguayan Guillermo Sanguinetti, to quit and sign with Colombia's Santa Fe.

"Paez will be in charge of evaluating the roster to determine which areas need to be bolstered, especially with foreign players, to get out of the bottom of the standings in the current tournament," the team official said.

Paez, who is expected to join the team on Wednesday, has coached Venezuela's Deportivo Tachira and Universidad de Los Andes, as well as Peru's Alianza Lima and Colombia's Millonarios.

The coach has also worked with Venezuela's national team and national youth teams.

He coached Mineros de Guayana in the 2013-2014 season.