César Luis Menotti receives the last goodbye: this is how Flaco was fired in Argentina

Friends, family and football people were at the funeral, but it was not open to the press or the general public.

Menotti had his farewell where it all began for him: in Ezeiza, the home of the Argentine team. A round of applause from everyone present was the final farewell for Flaco.

The body of César Luis Menotti was then loaded into the hearse that took it to the Recoleta cemetery, where he will be cremated.

“I want to thank everyone who came to say goodbye to my old man. I am very happy for the beautiful 85 years that he lived. And, obviously, I thank Claudio Tapia for opening the doors of the AFA property to say goodbye to my father,” said César Mario Menotti, son of Flaco, who also confirmed that his father will be cremated.

(Also read: Was Menotti pressured by Pablo Escobar to coach Atlético Nacional?)

The Argentina coach, Lionel Scaloniand one of his assistants on the coaching staff, also former soccer player Walter Samuel, arrived in the South American country this Tuesday to attend the wake.

There was also the presence of great Argentine soccer personalities such as Ubaldo Matildo “Pato” Fillol, Daniel Passarella, Roberto Marcos Saporiti, Carlos Tapia, Juan Simón, Alberto Márcico and Jorge Higuaín. The president of the AFA, Chiqui Tapia, was also present.

​​In his role as general director of the National Teams, which he held until his death, ‘Flaco’ endorsed the arrival of Scaloni, who lacked experience leading large teams, to the Argentine senior bench, and ended up achieving three titles in just a year and a half: the Copa América 2021, the Finalissima 2022 and the World Cup.