Brito supported Gallardo amid River's sports crisis: 'Today we may make mistakes'

After River's fourth consecutive defeat in the Torneo Clausura, uncertainty about Marcelo Gallardo's future returned to Núñez. The coach, who made a strong self-criticism after the loss to Sarmiento, left open the possibility of not continuing beyond December.

Given that scenario, the club president, Jorge Brito, broke his silence and offered a forceful defense of the coach, although he also hinted at criticism of the squad's performance. "The time to analyze is at the end of the year or when the competitions are over, because today we could make a mistake," he stated in a conversation with the press, after a fragment of Muñeco's statements in the press conference went viral.

The executive insisted that River still has objectives ahead: "Today it may be premature, we are in the semifinals of the Copa Argentina and competing in the Copa de la Liga. We can still win both titles and we hope we can do it. I think it's totally premature to analyze signings or results based on seven matches they've played."

Brito also recalled the weight of the club's history and the demands that each season entails: "Francescoli said it: in River's history, four Libertadores have been won and every year we renew the hope of winning it. We feel more pain than any fan when we lose it."

Regarding the coach, the president spoke about his continuity: "There is still a lot to play for this year. I believe what Marcelo means is that we have to wait until the end of the year to make an assessment and then that assessment will be analyzed. We always analyze."

"Marcelo Gallardo is the main person responsible for this football present. No one is thinking about or proposing a change. Now, the decision to continue or not, he will have to decide when his contract ends. Beyond what he refers to, the end of the year is truly the time to make the assessment," he added.

In another part of his statement, Brito also sent a message to the players: "River is a complex club and it's hard to adapt, but I didn't say that they should be given time to adapt, the competition is now and we have to be up to the task right now."

"There are players who have experience, track record in national teams. That, together with this coaching staff, personally gives me a lot of confidence," he added.

Meanwhile, as River tries to recover from a streak of results that distanced it from the top and set off alarms at the Monumental, Brito's support seeks to calm things down in the midst of the storm. But the end of the year will be decisive: the pending titles will define not only the team's sporting future, but also Gallardo's own.