RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Former Colombia captain Mario Yepes has been appointed sporting director of the country's senior and youth national teams.
The 44-year-old will be responsible for player development, competition planning and team logistics, among other tasks, the Colombian Football Federation (FCF) said in a statement late on Thursday.
"We are very happy to have Mario on board. His experience, transparency and talent for managing people is something we need to utilize," FCF president Ramon Jesurun said.
Yepes has been away from the public spotlight since being sacked as manager of Colombian first division side Deportivo Cali in March 2017.
He said he felt like he "was going back home" in his new role with the FCF.
"I'm looking forward to using my experience to help our national teams at all levels achieve great success," he added.
Yepes retired as a player in 2016 after a career that included spells at River Plate, Nantes, Paris Saint-Germain, Chievo Milan and Atalanta.
He earned 102 national team caps and was captain of the team that reached the quarterfinals at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil - the country's best ever finish in football's showpiece tournament.
