José de la Paz Herrera
Encyclopedia
José de la Paz Herrera Ucles is a famous Honduran
footballer and coach. Best known as Chelato, he grew up in Soledad
, Honduras, a small town of the municipality of El Paraíso
in extreme poverty.
From Soledad, his family moved to Comayagüela, where he was introduced to soccer. He dedicated his life to soccer, choosing it over baseball
in a time when baseball was very popular in Honduras.
Herrera’s nickname was given to him by friend, Danieri Flores to whom Chelato tried to nickname "Danilerato"; Flores responded with "Chelato", which has since stuck as his nickname.
The first part of Chelato's history in National League begins in 1974 when he won his first title with Real España
. With it, Chelato also delivered to the city of San Pedro Sula
their first championship ever, after defeating Club Deportivo Motagua
of Tegucigalpa
by the score of 1-0 in their final match.
He took : Club Deportivo Olimpia
, to win the championship title in 1992. Later, he added two more championships with Oliimpia, in 1996-1997 and 2003-2004.
By 2001, "Chelato" took charge of Club Deportivo Marathón
. At the moment of his arrival he declared that “It would be pretty to leave (of CD Marathón
) being a champion.” Those were very optimistic words for team that at that moment was going through a very difficult stretch; fighting to not being relegated to second division. Nevertheless at the end of the season, "Chelato" kept his word, and the team became the new champs of the Honduran National Soccer League.
In spite of all the triumphs obtained with big teams, Chelato never could carry a small team to win a championship title. In 1983 he left Club Universidad at the doorstep of the title. And later, in the nineties the disappointment was for Club Deportivo Platense
.
Herrera is also known for a wild experiment that was never seen before in the history of Honduran soccer. He disguised a team (Broncos of Choluteca
), as the Honduran national team and played a full tournament. At the end; the whole experience was as positive for him as it was for the players.
Clearly, Herrera had a lot of success in the Honduran national league. His extensive participation as coach, took him to win a total of 5 championships and to have a fighting chance in six tournaments. His record is only surpassed by the “old fox” of the Honduran National Soccer League, Carlos Padilla Velasquez.
In 1981 Herrera became the only Honduran coach to carry Honduras
to the World Cup
. For that task, Chelato and his players had to overcome two different phases in the qualifying rounds. The preliminary phase was long and grueling. The second and last was relatively easy; once in the world cup, Honduras
had an acceptable tournament.
For the pre World Cup tournaments Chelato used as his base; the players from Real C.D. España
, and the members from the 1977 Youth World Cup played in Tunisia
. Among them were: Jaime Villegas, Anthony Costly, and Julio Cesar Arzu among many others.
In the pre- qualifying round Honduras
faced: El Salvador
, Guatemala
, Panama
and Costa Rica
in round trip games; being the match against the 'Guatemala
,' the key game that gave the Hondurans the classification to the final round. This game was won by the scoreboard of 1-0, with goal of Jimmy Bailey and a stupendous participation of the goalkeeper: Jimmy Steward.
At the end of the tournament, Honduras netted 15 goals and received 5. Drew games against: Costa Rica
, and Guatemala
, lost against to the Salvadoran national team
and won the remaining encounters. Once the preliminary phase was finished, Honduras
received the home field advantage of the Final Round. This event took place at stadium Nacional de Tegucigalpa
.
In this tournament Honduras
had as its rivals the following teams: Mexico, El Salvador, Haiti, Cuba and Canada. In the inaugural match against Haiti, Honduras won by the score of 4-0, then beat the Cubans for 2-0, as well as the Canadians for 2-1. Honduras assured its classification to the World Cup with a tie (0-0) to El Salvador. In the final match, Honduras tied against Mexico
0-0. This signified the elimination of the Mexicans from the 1982 FIFA World Cup
, and the Salvadorans would accompany Honduras to Spain
.
For the world cup
, Chelato included in the staff to two important players that did not participate in the final qualifying round: Gilberto Yearwood who at the time was playing in Spain
, and high-scoring player: Porfirio Betancourt in substitution of Jimmy James Bailey who suffered a severe injure.
After the disastrous fall of the Salvadoran national team in their presentation before Hungary
for 1-10, many experts doubted the capacity of the other representative of CONCACAF
(The Honduran National Team). But this did not it last long, because on June 16 in its first game, played at stadium Luís Casanova of Valencia; Honduras showed great soccer skills against Spain.
From the very beginning the Chelato Boys put the host country up against the wall. - A goal by Hector Zelaya in the first half, forced the Spanish team to be in the attack. In the end; the tied was achieved by the Spaniards through a penalty kick; charged by the Argentine referee Arturo Andrés Iturralde against the Hondurans. The match ended up in a tie (1-1).
On June 21 the Hondurans played its second match at stadium The Romareda of Zaragoza
, against Northern Ireland
. After being down in the scoreboard for a while, Chelato Uclès sent substitute player Tony Laing to the field, at a moment when a corner kick was going to be forwarded. Laing came in; and just headed the ball into the net, to establish the tie and final score against the Irish Team.
In spite of the good presentation of Chelato’s team in the first two matches, this he was later affected in the final game against the Yugoslavs. A doubtful penalty kick marked by the Chilean referee Gastón Edmundo, against the Hondurans; determined the scoreboard in favor of Yugoslavia
(0-1). This marked the elimination of Honduras from the tournament. Despite of what happened in the last game, the Honduran people recognized the good work of Chelato Uclès and his team.
After the Spanish experience, the efforts of Chelato Uclés, for returning to a world Cup
with the Honduran national team ended up in failures. The first one of these; was for Mexico
1986; where Chelato’s team was eliminated by Canadian national team
. The following elimination of Honduras with Chelato in command was in the qualifying rounds of Italy
1990. In that opportunity, was Trinidad and Tobago who knocked the Hondurans out. The last elimination of Honduras with Chelato as coach was in the qualifiers for Germany
2006.
2006 had the direct and indirect participation, of Jose of La Paz Herrera. Most of which was to a large extent negative, for the interests of the Honduran soccer.
The process started when, the sports press put pressure on the president of the Honduran soccer federation; Rafael Leonardo Callejas to hire Chelato, because he was considered to be a “good and cheap coach.” In the end Callejas caved in.
The first test for Chelato in this new process was Copa UNCAF of Panama
in 2003. This was also a qualifier tournament for the 2003 Gold Cup. But Ucles’ new process with the national team didn’t start well, Honduras
lost 3 out of 5 matches in the tournament, finishing fourth. This forced the team to a play off games against Trinidad & Tobago
and Martinique
. The team was supposed to win these two matches, if it were to participate in the upcoming Gold Cup
.
After this setback, Chelato was criticized harshly by the Honduran press, reason why on February 22, he said "from the beginning everything was lost". Because the players never did what he commanded them to do. Later on, Chelato said that he was ready to leave his post as the Honduran national team
coach, if the federation asked him to do so.
The declarations of Chelato did not resonate well with anybody in Honduras
, because through his own words; he was admitting that he'd lost control of the players in Panama
. Later, other allegations were discovered by the media during the Panamanian tournament: The negative influence of Carlos Pavon
and other experienced players on the team, the trips to the malls, and even sexual relationships of players with prostitutes.
Pavon took control of the national team and qualified it, to the Gold Cup
, by getting positive results against Trinidad and Tobago
and Martinique
. After the participation of Pavón in the Mexico
’s Gold Cup, the directory of the Federation named Bora Milutinovic as the new Honduran coach.
The election of Milutinovic caused a tremendous malaise, among Chelato’s followers and the coach himself. Both, (Chelato and the sports press) would then be allies; in open opposition against the Serbian coach. They used all kind of tactics to make Milutinovic’s job difficult. But Milutinovic qualified Honduras to the next round nonetheless. However he did not resist the subsequent personal attacks, and literally left the country through the "back door." No one in Honduras noticed, until he was already, in his residence in Mexico.
When Milutinovic was contacted in his residence by Rafael Leonardo Callejas; he recommended Raul Martinez Sambulá and Juan Carlos Espinoza, to take over the Honduran national team
. With these two coaches in command, Honduras started the elimination round relatively well. They beat Costa Rica
at home by score of 5-2. But the results after that first win were negative for the new coaches.
at the hands of Guatemala
(0-1): The sport press, the federation, and soccer fans panicked, they saw another failure on the horizon. Chelato Ucles returned. Rafael Leonardo Callejas offered him the coaching position once more, and Chelato accepted.
He was asked if the situation could be reverted with the national team facing elimination against Costa Rica
. To what Chelato responded "In 33 days much can be done." And that "Is not impossible to win against to Costa Rica.” He also added' that if he qualified Honduras to the next round, he would be elected president.
After having accepted the coaching position, Chelato prepared the team in Miami. He made a series of line up changes, and played a preparation game against Haiti
, then headed for San Pedro Sula to face the ‘Ticos.’--In the end; things did not go well for Chelato Ucles and his team. They were eliminated by Costa Rica
in the final match. The press blamed Chelato, for dismantling the team with only 33 days left for a crucial match. Chelato on the other hand, blamed the federation and Bora Milutinovic, and the federation blamed the press.
After the elimination of Honduras from Germany 2006; Chelato stayed in control of the Honduran national team. The country did not want to know nothing of soccer, after so many frustration the people retired from the stadiums. Chelato noticed that and quietly prepared the team for next tournament; (Copa UNCAF 2005).
For this competition Ucles called a mixture of young and experienced players like: Wilmer Velasquez
, and Milton Núñez, as well as; Carlos Moran and Marvin Chávez among others. In this tournament Chelato did a lot better that in the previous one; taking Honduras to the championship game against Costa Rica
. He lost the final through penalty kicks, but qualified to the Gold Cup
2005 nonetheless.
In the 2005 Gold Cup played in the United States, Honduras beat teams like: Colombia
, Panama
, and Costa Rica
, arriving at semifinal instances. Nevertheless the Catrachos were defeated by the United States
by score of 2-1, finishing in third place of the tournament. This was the last soccer competition for Chelato Uclès. Then he retired and dedicated himself to politics
.
At the end of the elections in the 2005, he was the fourth most voted congressman in the general elections; getting more than 200,000 votes. All of which was achieved after running a very modest campaign, with a single ad on television.
In order to clear rumors, about possible outside help in the general elections, Chelato assured that he had not bought his seat in the National Congress of Honduras
. That he obtained it by walking to the barrios and going to places where nobody else would dare to go.
).
"Nunca se sabe"
"You never know"
This quote has been a boom in Honduran society.
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
footballer and coach. Best known as Chelato, he grew up in Soledad
Soledad
Soledad is a Spanish word meaning solitude or loneliness. It is also a female given name. It may also refer to:-Places:* Soledad, California* Soledad, Atlántico, Colombia* Soledad Atzompa, Veracruz, Mexico* Soledad Correctional Training Facility...
, Honduras, a small town of the municipality of El Paraíso
El Paraíso, El Paraíso
El Paraíso is a municipality in the Honduran department of El Paraíso....
in extreme poverty.
From Soledad, his family moved to Comayagüela, where he was introduced to soccer. He dedicated his life to soccer, choosing it over baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
in a time when baseball was very popular in Honduras.
Herrera’s nickname was given to him by friend, Danieri Flores to whom Chelato tried to nickname "Danilerato"; Flores responded with "Chelato", which has since stuck as his nickname.
National Soccer League
During José's career as technical director of National League teams, he made history with three different clubs. However he failed in his attempt at taking a couple of small teams to win the championship.The first part of Chelato's history in National League begins in 1974 when he won his first title with Real España
Real C.D. España
Real Club Deportivo España, Real España, or simply España is a Honduran football club, which currently plays in the Liga Nacional de Honduras in San Pedro Sula, Cortés, Honduras.-History:...
. With it, Chelato also delivered to the city of San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula is a city in Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula , about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean. With an estimated population of 638,259 people in the main municipality, and 802,598 in its metro area , it is the second...
their first championship ever, after defeating Club Deportivo Motagua
Club Deportivo Motagua
Club Deportivo Motagua is a Honduran football club, located in Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán, and plays in the Honduran top division at the Estadio Nacional. The club is one of the most successful and renowned of Honduras...
of Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
by the score of 1-0 in their final match.
He took : Club Deportivo Olimpia
Club Deportivo Olimpia
Club Deportivo Olimpia is a Honduran football and baseball club based in Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán. They compete in the Liga Nacional de Honduras, the top division in the country, and play their home matches in the Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino...
, to win the championship title in 1992. Later, he added two more championships with Oliimpia, in 1996-1997 and 2003-2004.
By 2001, "Chelato" took charge of Club Deportivo Marathón
Club Deportivo Marathón
Club Deportivo Marathón is an Honduran football club which currently plays in the in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras in San Pedro Sula.-History:...
. At the moment of his arrival he declared that “It would be pretty to leave (of CD Marathón
Club Deportivo Marathón
Club Deportivo Marathón is an Honduran football club which currently plays in the in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras in San Pedro Sula.-History:...
) being a champion.” Those were very optimistic words for team that at that moment was going through a very difficult stretch; fighting to not being relegated to second division. Nevertheless at the end of the season, "Chelato" kept his word, and the team became the new champs of the Honduran National Soccer League.
In spite of all the triumphs obtained with big teams, Chelato never could carry a small team to win a championship title. In 1983 he left Club Universidad at the doorstep of the title. And later, in the nineties the disappointment was for Club Deportivo Platense
Club Deportivo Platense
Club Deportivo Platense is a Honduran football club, located in Puerto Cortés, Cortés. The club was founded on 4 July 1960.-History:According to the records available, the following people attended Club Platense: René Paíz, Roger Riera, Roberto Mejía, Roosevelt Garbut, Manuel Flores, Héctor...
.
Herrera is also known for a wild experiment that was never seen before in the history of Honduran soccer. He disguised a team (Broncos of Choluteca
Choluteca, Choluteca
Choluteca is a municipality and the capital city of the Honduran department of the same name. Situated in southern Honduras between El Salvador and Nicaragua, the city is generally considered the regional center of southern Honduras and is a major transit point on the Pan-American Highway. It...
), as the Honduran national team and played a full tournament. At the end; the whole experience was as positive for him as it was for the players.
Clearly, Herrera had a lot of success in the Honduran national league. His extensive participation as coach, took him to win a total of 5 championships and to have a fighting chance in six tournaments. His record is only surpassed by the “old fox” of the Honduran National Soccer League, Carlos Padilla Velasquez.
Spain 1982
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
to the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. For that task, Chelato and his players had to overcome two different phases in the qualifying rounds. The preliminary phase was long and grueling. The second and last was relatively easy; once in the world cup, Honduras
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
had an acceptable tournament.
For the pre World Cup tournaments Chelato used as his base; the players from Real C.D. España
Real C.D. España
Real Club Deportivo España, Real España, or simply España is a Honduran football club, which currently plays in the Liga Nacional de Honduras in San Pedro Sula, Cortés, Honduras.-History:...
, and the members from the 1977 Youth World Cup played in Tunisia
Tunisia national football team
The Tunisia national football team , nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage , is the national team of Tunisia and is controlled by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football. They have qualified for four FIFA World Cups, the first one in 1978, but have yet to make it out of the first round...
. Among them were: Jaime Villegas, Anthony Costly, and Julio Cesar Arzu among many others.
In the pre- qualifying round Honduras
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
faced: El Salvador
El Salvador national football team
El Salvador's national football team represents El Salvador in international football and is sanctioned by the Federación Salvadoreña de Fútbol . In 1899, Santa Ana and San Salvador met for the first hosted football game in El Salvador...
, Guatemala
Guatemala national football team
The Guatemala national football team is the association football team representing the country of Guatemala and is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Founded in 1919, it affiliated to FIFA in 1946, and it is a member of CONCACAF....
, Panama
Panama national football team
The Panama national football team is the national team of Panama and is controlled by the Panamanian Football Federation. Panama reached the 2006 World Cup CONCACAF Final Round in the qualifiers and finished as runners-up at the final game of the 2005 Gold Cup...
and Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
in round trip games; being the match against the 'Guatemala
Guatemala national football team
The Guatemala national football team is the association football team representing the country of Guatemala and is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Founded in 1919, it affiliated to FIFA in 1946, and it is a member of CONCACAF....
,' the key game that gave the Hondurans the classification to the final round. This game was won by the scoreboard of 1-0, with goal of Jimmy Bailey and a stupendous participation of the goalkeeper: Jimmy Steward.
At the end of the tournament, Honduras netted 15 goals and received 5. Drew games against: Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
, and Guatemala
Guatemala national football team
The Guatemala national football team is the association football team representing the country of Guatemala and is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Founded in 1919, it affiliated to FIFA in 1946, and it is a member of CONCACAF....
, lost against to the Salvadoran national team
El Salvador national football team
El Salvador's national football team represents El Salvador in international football and is sanctioned by the Federación Salvadoreña de Fútbol . In 1899, Santa Ana and San Salvador met for the first hosted football game in El Salvador...
and won the remaining encounters. Once the preliminary phase was finished, Honduras
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
received the home field advantage of the Final Round. This event took place at stadium Nacional de Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
.
In this tournament Honduras
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
had as its rivals the following teams: Mexico, El Salvador, Haiti, Cuba and Canada. In the inaugural match against Haiti, Honduras won by the score of 4-0, then beat the Cubans for 2-0, as well as the Canadians for 2-1. Honduras assured its classification to the World Cup with a tie (0-0) to El Salvador. In the final match, Honduras tied against Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
0-0. This signified the elimination of the Mexicans from the 1982 FIFA World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
, and the Salvadorans would accompany Honduras to Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
.
For the world cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, Chelato included in the staff to two important players that did not participate in the final qualifying round: Gilberto Yearwood who at the time was playing in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and high-scoring player: Porfirio Betancourt in substitution of Jimmy James Bailey who suffered a severe injure.
After the disastrous fall of the Salvadoran national team in their presentation before Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
for 1-10, many experts doubted the capacity of the other representative of CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
(The Honduran National Team). But this did not it last long, because on June 16 in its first game, played at stadium Luís Casanova of Valencia; Honduras showed great soccer skills against Spain.
From the very beginning the Chelato Boys put the host country up against the wall. - A goal by Hector Zelaya in the first half, forced the Spanish team to be in the attack. In the end; the tied was achieved by the Spaniards through a penalty kick; charged by the Argentine referee Arturo Andrés Iturralde against the Hondurans. The match ended up in a tie (1-1).
On June 21 the Hondurans played its second match at stadium The Romareda of Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
, against Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. After being down in the scoreboard for a while, Chelato Uclès sent substitute player Tony Laing to the field, at a moment when a corner kick was going to be forwarded. Laing came in; and just headed the ball into the net, to establish the tie and final score against the Irish Team.
In spite of the good presentation of Chelato’s team in the first two matches, this he was later affected in the final game against the Yugoslavs. A doubtful penalty kick marked by the Chilean referee Gastón Edmundo, against the Hondurans; determined the scoreboard in favor of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
(0-1). This marked the elimination of Honduras from the tournament. Despite of what happened in the last game, the Honduran people recognized the good work of Chelato Uclès and his team.
After the Spanish experience, the efforts of Chelato Uclés, for returning to a world Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
with the Honduran national team ended up in failures. The first one of these; was for Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
1986; where Chelato’s team was eliminated by Canadian national team
Canada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
. The following elimination of Honduras with Chelato in command was in the qualifying rounds of Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
1990. In that opportunity, was Trinidad and Tobago who knocked the Hondurans out. The last elimination of Honduras with Chelato as coach was in the qualifiers for Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
2006.
Germany 2006
The process of GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
2006 had the direct and indirect participation, of Jose of La Paz Herrera. Most of which was to a large extent negative, for the interests of the Honduran soccer.
The process started when, the sports press put pressure on the president of the Honduran soccer federation; Rafael Leonardo Callejas to hire Chelato, because he was considered to be a “good and cheap coach.” In the end Callejas caved in.
The first test for Chelato in this new process was Copa UNCAF of Panama
Panama national football team
The Panama national football team is the national team of Panama and is controlled by the Panamanian Football Federation. Panama reached the 2006 World Cup CONCACAF Final Round in the qualifiers and finished as runners-up at the final game of the 2005 Gold Cup...
in 2003. This was also a qualifier tournament for the 2003 Gold Cup. But Ucles’ new process with the national team didn’t start well, Honduras
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
lost 3 out of 5 matches in the tournament, finishing fourth. This forced the team to a play off games against Trinidad & Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago national football team
The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. It reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals...
and Martinique
Martinique national football team
The Martinique national football team represents the French overseas department and region of Martinique in international football. The team is controlled by the Ligue de Football de la Martinique , a local branch of French Football Federation . On 7 August 2010, the national team adopted the...
. The team was supposed to win these two matches, if it were to participate in the upcoming Gold Cup
Gold Cup
Gold Cup may refer to:In art and archaeology:* Royal Gold Cup, 14th century French cup in the British Museum* Rillaton Gold Cup, late Neolithic, from Rillaton Barrow in England* Ringlemere Cup, Bronze Age from EnglandIn horse racing:...
.
After this setback, Chelato was criticized harshly by the Honduran press, reason why on February 22, he said "from the beginning everything was lost". Because the players never did what he commanded them to do. Later on, Chelato said that he was ready to leave his post as the Honduran national team
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
coach, if the federation asked him to do so.
The declarations of Chelato did not resonate well with anybody in Honduras
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
, because through his own words; he was admitting that he'd lost control of the players in Panama
Panama national football team
The Panama national football team is the national team of Panama and is controlled by the Panamanian Football Federation. Panama reached the 2006 World Cup CONCACAF Final Round in the qualifiers and finished as runners-up at the final game of the 2005 Gold Cup...
. Later, other allegations were discovered by the media during the Panamanian tournament: The negative influence of Carlos Pavon
Carlos Pavón
Carlos Alberto Pavón Plummer is a Honduran football striker.He is most costly related to Real C.D. España of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras....
and other experienced players on the team, the trips to the malls, and even sexual relationships of players with prostitutes.
Chelato versus Bora
When the national team returned to Honduras from Panama, the directory of the soccer federation under Callejas’ control once again was pressed by a sector of the media, to force Chelato out. Callejas did so, and replaced him with interim Coach: Edwin Pavón.Pavon took control of the national team and qualified it, to the Gold Cup
Gold Cup
Gold Cup may refer to:In art and archaeology:* Royal Gold Cup, 14th century French cup in the British Museum* Rillaton Gold Cup, late Neolithic, from Rillaton Barrow in England* Ringlemere Cup, Bronze Age from EnglandIn horse racing:...
, by getting positive results against Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago national football team
The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. It reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals...
and Martinique
Martinique national football team
The Martinique national football team represents the French overseas department and region of Martinique in international football. The team is controlled by the Ligue de Football de la Martinique , a local branch of French Football Federation . On 7 August 2010, the national team adopted the...
. After the participation of Pavón in the Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
’s Gold Cup, the directory of the Federation named Bora Milutinovic as the new Honduran coach.
The election of Milutinovic caused a tremendous malaise, among Chelato’s followers and the coach himself. Both, (Chelato and the sports press) would then be allies; in open opposition against the Serbian coach. They used all kind of tactics to make Milutinovic’s job difficult. But Milutinovic qualified Honduras to the next round nonetheless. However he did not resist the subsequent personal attacks, and literally left the country through the "back door." No one in Honduras noticed, until he was already, in his residence in Mexico.
When Milutinovic was contacted in his residence by Rafael Leonardo Callejas; he recommended Raul Martinez Sambulá and Juan Carlos Espinoza, to take over the Honduran national team
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
. With these two coaches in command, Honduras started the elimination round relatively well. They beat Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
at home by score of 5-2. But the results after that first win were negative for the new coaches.
Chelato returns
After the defeat suffered by HondurasHonduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
at the hands of Guatemala
Guatemala national football team
The Guatemala national football team is the association football team representing the country of Guatemala and is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Founded in 1919, it affiliated to FIFA in 1946, and it is a member of CONCACAF....
(0-1): The sport press, the federation, and soccer fans panicked, they saw another failure on the horizon. Chelato Ucles returned. Rafael Leonardo Callejas offered him the coaching position once more, and Chelato accepted.
He was asked if the situation could be reverted with the national team facing elimination against Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
. To what Chelato responded "In 33 days much can be done." And that "Is not impossible to win against to Costa Rica.” He also added' that if he qualified Honduras to the next round, he would be elected president.
After having accepted the coaching position, Chelato prepared the team in Miami. He made a series of line up changes, and played a preparation game against Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, then headed for San Pedro Sula to face the ‘Ticos.’--In the end; things did not go well for Chelato Ucles and his team. They were eliminated by Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
in the final match. The press blamed Chelato, for dismantling the team with only 33 days left for a crucial match. Chelato on the other hand, blamed the federation and Bora Milutinovic, and the federation blamed the press.
After the elimination of Honduras from Germany 2006; Chelato stayed in control of the Honduran national team. The country did not want to know nothing of soccer, after so many frustration the people retired from the stadiums. Chelato noticed that and quietly prepared the team for next tournament; (Copa UNCAF 2005).
For this competition Ucles called a mixture of young and experienced players like: Wilmer Velasquez
Wilmer Velasquez
Wilmer Raynel Neal Velásquez is a retired Honduran footballer.-Career:Velásquez is currently the all-time top goalscorer in the Honduran National Football League with 196 goals, and was the second player to reach 150 goals after Denilson Costa.In 2005, Velásquez was crowned one of the 'Top...
, and Milton Núñez, as well as; Carlos Moran and Marvin Chávez among others. In this tournament Chelato did a lot better that in the previous one; taking Honduras to the championship game against Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. He lost the final through penalty kicks, but qualified to the Gold Cup
CONCACAF Gold Cup
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the regional champion of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.The Gold Cup is held every two years and when it does not fall the same year as an...
2005 nonetheless.
In the 2005 Gold Cup played in the United States, Honduras beat teams like: Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Panama
Panama national football team
The Panama national football team is the national team of Panama and is controlled by the Panamanian Football Federation. Panama reached the 2006 World Cup CONCACAF Final Round in the qualifiers and finished as runners-up at the final game of the 2005 Gold Cup...
, and Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
, arriving at semifinal instances. Nevertheless the Catrachos were defeated by the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
by score of 2-1, finishing in third place of the tournament. This was the last soccer competition for Chelato Uclès. Then he retired and dedicated himself to politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
.
Chelato Congressman
After Chelato finished his adventure with the Honduran national soccer team; he traveled across the country for the purpose of getting people to vote for him because "There are many things that can be done for the poor people." He said.At the end of the elections in the 2005, he was the fourth most voted congressman in the general elections; getting more than 200,000 votes. All of which was achieved after running a very modest campaign, with a single ad on television.
In order to clear rumors, about possible outside help in the general elections, Chelato assured that he had not bought his seat in the National Congress of Honduras
National Congress of Honduras
The National Congress is the legislative branch of the government of Honduras.The Honduran Congress is a unicameral legislature. The current President of the National Congress of Honduras is Juan Orlando Hernández. Its members are 128 deputies, who are elected on a proportional representation...
. That he obtained it by walking to the barrios and going to places where nobody else would dare to go.
Chelato the philosopher
For his football philosophy, he was called "The Honduran Menotti" (Referring to argentinian coach César Luis MenottiCésar Luis Menotti
César Luis Menotti, known as El Flaco is an Argentine football coach and former player, who as coach, won the 1978 FIFA World Cup for Argentina.-Playing career:...
).
"Nunca se sabe"
"You never know"
This quote has been a boom in Honduran society.