Embattled Bauza booted

BUENOS AIRES - Argentina fired coach Edgardo Bauza on Monday after a string of poor World Cup qualifying results left it struggling to reach the 2018 finals in Russia.

Media reports suggest Sevilla's Argentine manager Jorge Sampaoli, who has voiced his desire to coach his country and steered Chile to the 2015 Copa America title, will fill the vacancy.

"We've reached an agreement, we've told Bauza he's ceased to be the national-team coach," Argentine FA president Claudio Tapia said after a meeting at the organization's Buenos Aires headquarters.

Argentina, whose captain Lionel Messi has been banned for four matches for insulting a match official, is fifth in the South American qualifying group with four matches to go.

The top four in the 10-nation group go through to the 2018 finals in Russia, while the fifth-place country goes into a playoff against a team from Oceania.

Bauza presided over eight matches, all 2018 qualifiers, with three wins, three losses and two draws.

If the AFA can pry Sampaoli away from Sevilla at the end of the season, he would have until Aug 31 to prepare for Argentina's next qualifier in Uruguay.

Tapia announced a media conference for Tuesday to give details of Bauza's departure and his possible successor.

The AFA dispensed with Bauza after Argentina was lucky to beat Chile 1-0 at home thanks to a Messi penalty and then lost 2-0 to Bolivia in La Paz last month.

Argentina, which had Messi suspended before the Bolivia match, could be without its superstar in Uruguay and at home to Peru and Venezuela unless it manages to get the suspension reduced.

If the appeal fails, Messi would only come back for the final qualifier in Quito, Ecuador, in October.

Bauza was appointed last July by Armando Perez, who headed a FIFA committee that administered the AFA and prepared it for the presidential election that Tapia won last month.

Messi quit international soccer after Argentina's second straight Copa America final defeat to Chile last June, having missed the first spot-kick in a penalty shootout.

Bauza persuaded Messi to return and the Barcelona star responded with a goal in a 1-0 win over Uruguay on Sept 1.

Argentina was unconvincing, though, with draws away to Venezuela and Peru, losses to Paraguay and Brazil and a win over Colombia between September and November.

Sampaoli quit as Chile coach after the 2015 Copa America success but had just taken charge at Sevilla when Gerardo Martino resigned as Argentina boss in July.

The AFA would have to pay a buyout clause to trigger Sampaoli's Sevilla release.

Reuters

(China Daily 04/12/2017 page24)