Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona's contract as coach of the Argentine national soccer team will not be renewed, the spokesman for the Argentine Football Association said Tuesday.
The announcement comes after Argentina exited the World Cup in South Africa earlier this month with a 4-0 loss to Germany in the quarterfinals.
The decision was made unanimously by the association's executive committee Tuesday afternoon, after a meeting Monday night between Maradona and the association's president, Julio Grondona, said association spokesman Ernesto Cherquis Bialo.
Sergio Batista, coach of the Argentine national youth program and coach of the 2008 gold-medal winning Olympic team, will take over temporarily, Cherquis said.
Batista will coach the team for an August 11 friendly match against Ireland in Dublin.
Argentina had hoped Maradona, who guided his country to victory at the 1986 World Cup, would lead the team to glory as manager.
After taking the job in 2008, the team struggled to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. But once there, Argentina won all three of its group-stage matches and a second-round game before falling to Germany.
good.. one junkie out of the next soccer world cup, like 1000 to go..
Argentina have just lost a fantastic man and a good coach. Bottom line is he was learning the game. Maybe he did need a good number 2. I wish he gets another opportunity.
Whatever they said, you are the best football playter of all times. as a coach, you tried but no luck. For all who talk bad about Mara, what have you done to your country or in your life?
Happy to hear that. Argentine need a coach like del Bosque. Maradona just not good enough to be a coach. The biggest mistake of him is he wasn't called Zanetti as a great defender, Cambiasso, and Riquelme as a midfielder. Messi needs support. He's striker. And he needs a great midfielder. I don't want to see him suffered like Batistuta along time ago. Great skill but no champion.
Haha... Good. Now the broke junkie gots to find somewhere else to milk. He was a disaster and Argentina's ouster was a disaster.
gabrielbatistuta should be the coach . he has had courses for coaching so he is more skilled than maradona in coaching.
If Argentina could have Batistuta as coach, that would be Amazing!!! There is some unfinished business to take care of and I think Batistuta would be the man to do it. Sorry Mara at least you tried...