Copa America Failure Costs Argentina Soccer Coach Sergio Batista His Job
Sergio Batista
Pablo Porciuncula/AFP/Getty Images
Sergio Batista’s year-long stint as Argentina soccer coach is over after the host nation managed one win at the Copa America, where it lost in the quarterfinals.
Sergio Batista’s year-long stint as Argentina soccer coach is over after the host nation managed one win at the Copa America, where it lost in the quarterfinals. Photographer: Pablo Porciuncula/AFP/Getty Images
Sergio Batista’s yearlong stint as Argentina soccer coach is over after the host nation managed one win at the Copa America, where it lost in the quarterfinals.
Batista, who took over as caretaker coach 12 months ago before being hired full time in November, had his contract rescinded last night after tendering his resignation, Argentine Football Association spokesman Ernesto Cherquis Bialo said.
“I don’t know the reasons,” Cherquis Bialo said last night in a televised news conference in Buenos Aires. “What I know is that yesterday we saw people play in the Monumental and Argentina wasn’t there.”
Uruguay, which ousted a Lionel Messi-led Argentina team in the last eight, beat Paraguay 3-0 two days ago at Buenos Aires’s Estadio Monumental to win its record 15th South American continental title and move one ahead of Argentina.
Argentina, the pre-tournament favorite, won one of its four games at the 12-nation tournament, a 3-0 victory against Costa Rica. Batista’s team drew 1-1 with Bolivia, 0-0 with Colombia and was eliminated by Uruguay 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time.
As well as World Player of the Year Messi, Argentina’s squad included Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Javier Mascherano.
Batista, 48, guided Argentina to eight wins, six draws and three defeats after taking over from Diego Maradona. He previously coached Argentina’s youth teams and guided the under- 23 squad to the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Sabella for Post?
Cherquis Bialo didn’t say when a new coach would be appointed. Argentina’s Aug. 10 exhibition match against Romania in Bucharest has been postponed, the AFA said on its website.
The AFA is seeking to hire Alejandro Sabella to replace Batista, Argentine media, including newspapers La Nacion and Clarin and sports television broadcaster TyC, said. Sabella has delayed leaving for the United Arab Emirates, where he’s scheduled to start coaching the Al Jazira club, to speak to the AFA, La Nacion reported today.
Sabella, who played for England’s Sheffield United and Leeds United in the late 1970s and early 1980s, coached Club Estudiantes de La Plata until February. With Estudiantes, Sabella won the local championship in 2010 and South America’s Copa Libertadores in 2009. Sabella also worked as assistant coach to Daniel Passarella on the national team between 1994 and 1998.
To contact the reporters on this story: Dan Baynes in Sydney at dbaynes@bloomberg.net; Rodrigo Orihuela in Buenos Aires at rorihuela@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Christopher Elser at celser@bloomberg.net
Rate this Page