The Chilean football federation says it will hold a new election to choose a president, which may open the door for a return of national team coach Marcelo Bielsa who quit in a dispute with president-elect Jorge Segovia.
The Chilean federation said Friday it would hold the election on Jan. 7. Segovia was elected on Nov. 4, defeating incumbent Harold Mayne-Nicholls. Mayne-Nicholls has said he will not run again.
The federation said this month that Segovia was not qualified because he violated federation bylaws by signing commercial contracts. That ruling was upheld this week by a legal panel which included the president of Chile's Supreme Court.
Bielsa, a highly respected and temperamental Argentine, said he would resign if Segovia were elected. He followed through and coached his last match on Nov. 17 - a 2-0 victory over Uruguay in a friendly.
However, Chilean Olympic Committee president Neven Ilic and former Chile player Ivan Zamorano have said they would like Bielsa to return.
Bielsa guided Chile to the World Cup in South Africa, where the team reached the second round. It was Chile's first appearance in a World Cup since 1998 and its best performance since 1962.
