Gustavo Quinteros appointed new Independiente coach

Argentine club Independiente has named Gustavo Quinteros as their new head coach, signing a contract through December 2026. He replaces Julio Vaccari.

20 sept 2025 - 05:11 • 3 min read

Independiente has officially appointed Gustavo Quinteros as their new head coach, tasking the experienced manager with turning around the fortunes of the historic Argentine club. Quinteros has signed a contract that will keep him at the helm until December 31, 2026.

Quinteros, 60, replaces Julio Vaccari, who resigned following a recent 1-0 defeat to Banfield. The club's announcement comes after a swift negotiation process, with both Independiente and Quinteros expressing their eagerness to begin a new chapter.

This move marks Quinteros' return to Argentine top-flight football after a successful spell with Vélez, where he clinched a championship in 2024. His subsequent tenure at Brazilian club Grêmio was brief, however, as results did not meet expectations, leading to his departure in April of this year.

Independiente currently faces a challenging period, having gone nine matches without a victory across all competitions. The team also suffered elimination from the Copa Argentina and the Copa Sudamericana, the latter due to a disciplinary ruling by CONMEBOL. Furthermore, Independiente sits at the bottom of Zone B in the Torneo Clausura, without a win so far.

Quinteros is set to inherit a squad that has struggled to recover from the disappointment of their performance in the previous semester, where they showed promise but ultimately failed to achieve their goals. The team was further impacted by the events surrounding their Copa Sudamericana tie against Universidad de Chile.

His first challenge will be to inject confidence into the squad and begin accumulating points to potentially reach playoffs and secure qualification for continental competitions next year. Independiente's immediate priority is to improve their standing in the current league campaign.

Quinteros is expected to work with the same technical staff he had at Vélez, including Leandro Desábato, Maximiliano Quesada, and Rodrigo Quinteros as collaborators, and Hugo Roldán as the physical trainer.

The club's leadership had previously identified Quinteros as a desired candidate, with the Santafesino manager having managed 14 previous clubs throughout his 20-year coaching career, including stints with the Bolivian and Ecuadorian national teams, Emelec, Universidad de Chile, Tijuana, Colo-Colo, Vélez, and Grêmio. Throughout his career, he has achieved an overall effectiveness rating of 57.92% and secured 13 titles.

While Quinteros will be present at Independiente's upcoming match against San Lorenzo from the stands on Sunday, his official presentation to the media is scheduled for Monday at noon. The interim coaching duties for the San Lorenzo match will be handled by Carlos Matheu and his assistant, Eduardo Tuzzio.

Quinteros has requested patience from the Independiente supporters, emphasizing the need for hard work and collective effort to lift the team back to its former glory. He has indicated a focus on securing as many points as possible in the remainder of the year, with the aim of competing for significant achievements in 2026.