Three days after dismantling his closest inner circle in daily operations, Juan Román Riquelme watched Boca's draw against Racing at La Bombonera with noticeable changes in his box. Mauricio "Chicho" Serna and Raúl Cascini, former members of the recently dissolved Football Council, were no longer by his side, but rather three people very close to him.
One of them was Marcelo "Chelo" Delgado, the only survivor of this week's internal cut. A longtime right-hand man to Riquelme, with whom he keeps a brotherly relationship, the former forward had distanced himself from daily operations due to some issues, but he always remained within his circle of trust.
Cristian "Chanchi" Riquelme, the Boca president's brother, was also present. A few days ago, Ricardo Rosica, the club's general secretary, described him as "a link between the president and the institution" and called him a key figure.
Rosica defendió a Chanchi Riquelme
"He is in charge of the club's construction projects, he is the brain behind everything, he has a great sense of aesthetics and many ideas related to the club's projects and daily operations. He is a very important person, although unfortunately he has been demonized and stigmatized, which is absurd, because the fierce rules of social media ignore the fact that one has a family," Rosica said on AZZ.
The third person in the box was Diego Cinello, head of the club's fitness coaches and a close associate of Riquelme, who regularly participates in meetings of the Boca Predio staff.
Cinello, Chanchi y Riquelme
Meanwhile, Riquelme and Delgado are already analyzing possible replacements for what will be the new football management structure. Among the candidates, Xeneize idols such as Carlos Bianchi, Carlos Navarro Montoya, Alberto Márcico, José Pékerman, and Claudio Borghi stand out, as they would bring experience, a connection with the club, and management skills to the new project.
The plan is to appoint a figure who will act as a link between the squad, coaching staff, and management, and energize both sports planning and the transfer market.
