Edgardo Bauza has been sacked as Argentina’s coach, bringing his brief stint with the national side to an abrupt end.
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Edgardo Bauza has been sacked as Argentina’s coach, bringing his brief stint with the national side to an abrupt end.
Since being appointed in August, the 59-year-old has guided La Albiceleste to three wins, two draws and three defeats meaning they are currently falling short of automatic qualification for Russia 2018.
They lie in fifth place in the South American qualifying group, with four games left.
Captain Lionel Messi was handed a four-match ban for abusing an official just hours before their last match ended in a 2-0 defeat in Bolivia.
Four sides go through automatically, with the fifth being required to take part in a play-off against a team from Oceania.
Bauza exits as @Argentina coach with La Albiceleste sitting fifth in South American zone #WorldCup #WCQhttps://t.co/YUjfeQdM1p pic.twitter.com/hoSe295CGJ
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) April 11, 2017
It’s been 47 years since Argentina last failed to qualify for a World Cup. The team has won the competition twice and has three-times finished runner up.
Claudio Tapia, the president of Argentina’s FA, announced Bauza’s dismissal, saying “The national team is playing badly and everyone knows it.”