Spanish Coach Rabanal Takes Helm at Treble-Winning Universitario
Tenerife's Javier Rabanal Hernández has been appointed the new coach of Peruvian club Universitario, which recently secured its third consecutive national championship, succeeding Jorge Fossati.
Javier Rabanal Hernández, from Tenerife, has been named the new coach of Universitario, the Peruvian club that recently won its third consecutive national championship. The announcement was made by the club on Sunday, following the departure of Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossati.
Universitario welcomed Rabanal on social media platform X, stating: "Peru's only great club welcomes Javier Rabanal Hernández, the new technical director of our first team. Let's make history together!"
Rabanal faces the challenging task of leading Universitario to a fourth straight Peruvian Liga 1 title. He will also coach the team in the Copa Libertadores 2026, a spot they secured by winning their third consecutive national title in 2025.
The Spanish coach previously managed Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle in 2024 and 2025, where he won the Serie A championship. Before that, in 2024, he also coached Independiente Juniors in Ecuador. From 2018 to 2023, Rabanal worked in the Netherlands, serving as an assistant at PSV Eindhoven and as head of methodology at Willem II.
On December 11, Universitario thanked Fossati and his coaching staff for their professionalism and for helping the club achieve "the three-peat" – winning three national titles in as many years.
Fossati had been coaching Universitario since 2023, when he led them to their first Peruvian Liga 1 championship in ten seasons. He then took an 18-month break to manage the Peruvian national team, which ultimately did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup. He returned to Universitario as head coach last April and, by the end of the Clausura tournament, had guided them to their third consecutive national championship.