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Wales Online
7 days ago
- Business
- Wales Online
The real reason Warren Gatland took shock job in Uruguay as fee details emerge
The real reason Warren Gatland took shock job in Uruguay as fee details emerge The former Wales head coach has taken on an advisory role with Uruguayan club side Peñarol Rugby Gatland is said to have come to Uruguay "out of passion and to collaborate" (Image: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans Agency ) More details have emerged around Warren Gatland's shock new job in Uruguay, with the real reason he made the move revealed. Earlier this week, it was confirmed that the New Zealander - who stepped down as Wales head coach during the Six Nations after a torrid run of 14 successive Test match defeats - had started a new role with Uruguayan club side Peñarol Rugby, in which he will advise head coach Ivo Dugonjic and his team ahead of the 2025 Super Rugby Americas (SRA) play-off finals next month. The move has taken the rugby world by surprise, but it comes after Gatland admitted following his Wales exit that he was "not done with coaching" and would be interested in taking on consultancy role going forward. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. Now, the 61-year-old's exact motivations for taking on the short-term role in South America have been revealed by Peñarol's club president Gustavo Guerra. Speaking to El Observador, Guerra revealed that former Uruguayan Rugby Union president Sebastian Piñeyrúa had been the first to make contact with Gatland over the role, having had a good relationship with the coach due to his role on the World Rugby Council. 'Sebastian told me something about this 10 or 15 days ago, and I told him right away that he could count on my support, but that he should put us in the right conditions," he said. "And the truth is, [Gatland] is here out of passion and to collaborate. 'He's fully active, he's going to Australia to give talks, he continues to attend the Lions. He's here to contribute; he's not someone who's retired." Article continues below El Observador also reports that the amount of money Gatland is being paid in the role is "far from" the money splashed around in Europe, with the club simply covering the cost of his stay and expenses, as well as providing "an extra fee" for giving talks to clubs in Uruguay. Instead, the publication says that the former Wales boss has taken on the role "because of the challenge it entails" as well as "his desire to gain a closer look at the reality of regional rugby". While he is set to advise Peñarol over the next three weeks, it is the hope of the URU that they will continue to be able to consult with Gatland in the future, particularly as Uruguay target a place at the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. The New Zealander got to work with Peñarol on Monday, meeting club directors and those from the URU, as well as Dugonjic and the rest of the team's coaching staff. On Tuesday, he oversaw training as the team prepare to take on Pampas on Friday, in what will be their final match of the regular Super Rugby Americas season. Peñarol are currently top of the SRA table, with the Pampas match set to determine their route through the play-offs to the final. While he will work with the squad this week, however, next week will see Gatland start giving talks at clubs around Uruguay. Giving an insight into his first meeting with Gatland, Guerra said: 'Yesterday we had a meeting with him, Fabio, Pino, and me. He was a very kind, approachable guy. He knew things about Uruguay; he didn't come with his eyes closed. "He analysed the proposal; he was attracted by the Switzerland of the Americas. Yesterday he walked the boardwalk; everything seemed very safe to him. 'On Sunday we're going to try to take him to the farms, and next week to Punta del Este, Colonia, without driving him crazy either.' Article continues below 'I have to thank both Fabio (Magno, president of the URU) and Sebastian (Piñeyrúa) for putting these kinds of things together," he added. "Being involved in the region, you tend to call people you know from Argentina. "You don't even think of the right contact to call someone like Gatland. Or I could call someone, but it would be a challenge coordinating dates, not to mention the money. From a technical standpoint, it's like Ancelotti coming to Brazil."
Chicago Tribune
22-04-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin faithful remember Pope Francis for his humility and support for the downtrodden
Elgin-area Catholics are remembering with fondness the life and legacy of Pope Francis, who died Monday of a cerebral stroke at the age of 88. 'He was the people's pope,' said Rafael Villagomez, a deacon at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Elgin. 'He stood up for immigrants, the poor and the environment.' Villagomez, a Mexican immigrant and Elgin real estate agent, said that for Hispanics and for Latin America, Pope Francis was a big deal. He not only was someone who came from a similar background and spoke their language but represented hope, he said. Born in Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was the Catholic Church's 266th pope and the first from Latin America. Villagomez said he and his family attended a group mass said by the pope in St. Peter's Square in spring 2018 and were able to see him as he drove in his specially designed vehicle. 'You could feel the energy, the spiritual energy in the crowd,' he said. Margarita Mendoza, of Elgin, also had a chance to see the pope in action. As the editor of El Observador, a Catholic Diocese of Rockford publication for its Spanish-speaking parishioners, she covered Francis' September 2017 trip to Colombia. 'The police there had been in several violent confrontations against guerrillas, drug dealers and terrorists. However, they cried when they saw Pope Francis,' Mendoza said. During the trip, she saw the pope as he interacted with business owners, from mom-and-pop operations to large stores. During one stop, he planted a tree in Villavicencio, symbolic of the peace he hoped would continue in the area, she said. It was interesting to see the fervor of the Catholic faith found in the Columbian people, Mendoza said. While attendance at churches in the U.S. was dwindling, in Colombia they were opening more parishes because of response Francis inspired, she said. 'It means a lot for people who speak Spanish to hear from a pope who speaks their language,' Mendoza said. Bergoglio was the first pope to choose the name Francis, after St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and the environment who took a vow of poverty and was concerned about the downtrodden. That was clearly something the pope embraced, said Monsignor Arquimedes Vallejo, pastor of St. Joseph church and St. Edward Catholic Preparatory Academy in Elgin. 'Pope Francis spent his life looking out for the poor and those who are suffering,' he said. 'The Hispanic community, they felt close to him.' Pope Francis was also someone who went to those in need and invited them to come to the church, Vallejo said. He looked at people as individuals who could take the message of Jesus to heart, he said. The pope's death also saddened Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein, who leads Congregation Kneseth Israel in Elgin. 'He was a mensch, a good person, who championed the cause of the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the most marginalized,' she said. 'He cared for the environment. He was passionate about making peace. He also decried antisemitism in all its forms. He was a humble man, full of grace, compassion and mercy. He was a role model for us all.' Barbara Ferguson, a Sleepy Hollow resident involved at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in West Dundee for more than 40 years, said she admired Pope Francis' simplicity. 'He was a more human type of pope,' Ferguson said. While Francis may have been a little bit more progressive than she, and some other Catholics, were ready for, she couldn't fault him for trying to push things forward, she said. 'He seemed to be one step ahead of where the church is ready to go, and that's not a bad thing,' Ferguson said. Mendoza, though, said Francis's stance on the LGBTQ+ community has been misinterpreted by some. 'He did not approve gay marriage. Still, he welcomed gay people to the church and blessed them because we are all human and we are all creatures of God,' Mendoza said. What was not lost on those interviewed was that Pope Francis was working until his death. He said his last mass on Easter Sunday for those who gathered in St. Peter's Square and delivered another plea for peace across the Earth. 'How much violence we see, often even within families, directed at women and children. How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalized and migrants,' he said. 'On this day, I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas. For all of us are children of God.' That's a message that many hope the College of Cardinals takes into account when choosing Francis' successor, Villagomez said. 'I hope that they choose someone who can be a beacon of peace. That's what's needed, especially in the Middle East,' he said.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Argentina farmers focus on harvest over sales despite currency boost
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's grain industry welcomed an exchange-rate overhaul on Monday, though the new measures will likely not translate into immediate sales as the harvest remains behind schedule, experts said. Late on Friday, Argentina's central bank loosened foreign-exchange controls, a long-awaited measure twinned with billions of dollars to be disbursed by development banks including the International Monetary Fund. Lifting of the controls is also meant to speed up agricultural sales, a prime source of cash from abroad. Despite that, soy and corn sales should remain slow this week, with Easter holidays cutting trading short and exporters still unsure of where the peso currency will settle. The soybean harvest has also fallen behind due to heavy rainfall. "Producers are more focused on harvesting than on the exchange rate, which they already know will be above Friday's 1,129 pesos per dollar," said analyst Lorena D'Angelo, based in grains hub Rosario. With the capital controls lifted on Monday, the peso was allowed to float freely within a moving band between 1,000 and 1,400 pesos per dollar. By midday, it was trading around 1,190 pesos per greenback. Farmers are now rushing to bring in the soy crop amid a break in rains. More precipitation could cause fungus and infection, hitting the harvest's yield. "We're harvesting as much as we can," said Noelia Castagnini, a farmer near Venado Tuerto in grain province Santa Fe. "Right now, all my machines are covered in mud, but we'll worry about the fields later." President Javier Milei, in an interview on Monday with local radio El Observador, pushed for farmers to speed up their sales. "Tell the farmers that if they need to sell, they need to do it now," he said. Argentina currently taxes soy exports at 26% and shipments of derived oil and meal at 24.5%. Milei hinted that a temporary tax break, set to expire at the end of June, would not be extended. WAIT AND SEE "We'll have to wait today and maybe tomorrow to see where the market settles," said Federico Zerboni, head of corn association MAIZAR, when asked if the weakened peso would further slow grains sales. "Today, it's hard to evaluate the new measures without that information." Grain prices were not available by midday, D'Angelo said. "The government clearly made a positive, favorable decision to normalize the foreign-exchange market," said Gustavo Idigoras, head of the grains export and processing chamber. "In any case, the harvest is delayed, so we're not expecting a quick market reaction." Grain sales as of April 2 were at their slowest rate in the last decade, data from the Agricultural Ministry showed. Sign in to access your portfolio
Reuters
14-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Argentina farmers focus on harvest over sales despite currency boost
BUENOS AIRES, April 14 (Reuters) - Argentina's grain industry welcomed an exchange-rate overhaul on Monday, though the new measures will likely not translate into immediate sales as the harvest remains behind schedule, experts said. Late on Friday, Argentina's central bank loosened foreign-exchange controls, a long-awaited measure twinned with billions of dollars to be disbursed by development banks including the International Monetary Fund. Lifting of the controls is also meant to speed up agricultural sales, a prime source of cash from abroad. Despite that, soy and corn sales should remain slow this week, with Easter holidays cutting trading short and exporters still unsure of where the peso currency will settle. The soybean harvest has also fallen behind due to heavy rainfall. "Producers are more focused on harvesting than on the exchange rate, which they already know will be above Friday's 1,129 pesos per dollar," said analyst Lorena D'Angelo, based in grains hub Rosario. With the capital controls lifted on Monday, the peso was allowed to float freely within a moving band between 1,000 and 1,400 pesos per dollar. By midday, it was trading around 1,190 pesos per greenback. Farmers are now rushing to bring in the soy crop amid a break in rains. More precipitation could cause fungus and infection, hitting the harvest's yield. "We're harvesting as much as we can," said Noelia Castagnini, a farmer near Venado Tuerto in grain province Santa Fe. "Right now, all my machines are covered in mud, but we'll worry about the fields later." President Javier Milei, in an interview on Monday with local radio El Observador, pushed for farmers to speed up their sales. "Tell the farmers that if they need to sell, they need to do it now," he said. Argentina currently taxes soy exports at 26% and shipments of derived oil and meal at 24.5%. Milei hinted that a temporary tax break, set to expire at the end of June, would not be extended. "We'll have to wait today and maybe tomorrow to see where the market settles," said Federico Zerboni, head of corn association MAIZAR, when asked if the weakened peso would further slow grains sales. "Today, it's hard to evaluate the new measures without that information." Grain prices were not available by midday, D'Angelo said. "The government clearly made a positive, favorable decision to normalize the foreign-exchange market," said Gustavo Idigoras, head of the grains export and processing chamber. "In any case, the harvest is delayed, so we're not expecting a quick market reaction." Grain sales as of April 2 were at their slowest rate in the last decade, data from the Agricultural Ministry showed.
