The Uruguayan coach, in just three months, consolidated the project that gave Santa Fe the tenth star.
Photo: EFE – Mauricio Dueñas Castañeda
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Jorge Bava landed in Bogotá in March, loaded with questions and with the mission of taking the reins of Independiente Santa Fe on the way. Three months later, the 41 -year -old Uruguayan became the architect of the tenth cardinal star, a title that not only returns to the Lion to the foreground of Colombian football, but reactive the illusion of a fan who had been waiting for nine years to celebrate again.
When Bava arrived, Santa Fe was not in crisis. On the contrary: the team had stabilized thanks to Francisco López and Rufay Zapata, who had achieved five victories in seven games. That made the challenge even greater: it was not about rescuing a sunk squad, but about sustaining and enhancing what was already working. “Generally, one arrives when the team is wrong, but here I had to assume in a positive moment. The challenge was not to mess up how good there was and, with time, add our idea,” the DT said in the previous one.
The start was not simple: the first dates under his command brought irregular doubts and results. But Bava kept calm and appealed to what he knew well: the daily work and union of the group. The ex -artero who debuted in 1998 and went through eleven clubs in six countries, Bava understood better than anyone the importance of making the players feel comfortable. Instead of imposing a rigid style, he preferred to enhance what he had. “We took a bit to stabilize, but the boys were understanding. It was coming and playing, almost without time to train,” he said.
Bava found in Santa Fe a mature and tanned squad. Men like Andrés Mosquera, Daniel Torres, Elvis Perlaza and, above all, Hugo Rodallega, became the team's backbone. But not everything depended on them: “The most beautiful thing is that there were many who put their chest at different times. That speaks well of the group,” said the DT.
The tour was not easy. In the home runs, Santa Fe had to eliminate heavyweights such as Millionaires, National and Once Caldas. Tension matches, injuries, sanctions and little margin of error. But the lion took out the claw that defines his story. “This Santa Fe represents what the club is: claw, heart, delivery, but also football,” Bava said.
The final was the gold brooch. After a 0-0 in the first leg, Santa Fe beat Independiente Medellín 2-1 at Atanasio Girardot. Rodallega, playing injured, scored the decisive goal and consecrated maximum gunner of the tournament, while the team raised the cup in a hostile stadium. “The secret was their conviction, day to day. Winning is difficult to win again is even more,” summarized the coach after the final whistle.
Bava did not forget anyone: he thanked the entire staff, Pablo Peirano, who armed part of the squad; López, Rufay Zapata and even the youth who began training with the first team. In his words something deeper was noticed: the construction of a project that goes beyond the immediate result.
With this title, Santa Fe adds ten stars and returns to the Copa Libertadores. It is the most winning Bogota team of the last decade and, although it has lived institutional ups and downs, it remains among the greats of the country. For Bava, the challenge is now to hold the level: “We are already thinking about the next semester, but first we had to win this. What is coming is as hard.”
In a big club, nothing stops. The next championship starts in less than a month. Bava's contract goes until December, but he himself excites himself with staying longer: “One dreams of spending a long time, creating bases for the future. But this is football, you never know.”
The truth is that, in just three months, Jorge Bava achieved something that seemed unlikely: to unite a costume, grow the team under pressure and return to the lion its most valuable essence: resilience.
A team that, between ups and downs, injuries and doubts, rose again to conquer the tenth star and, above all, recover something that he never had to lose: the faith of Santa Fe.
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