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Second chance Argentina set to ask Bielsa to stay on as coachPosted: Wednesday July 24, 2002 9:11 AMBUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -- Argentina wants Marcelo Bielsa to continue as coach despite his team's shock first round elimination at the World Cup. Argentina Football Assocation (AFA) president Julio Grondona says he will offer Bielsa a new contract and the players also want the eccentric, introverted coach to stay on. "We're going to try to speak to Bielsa so that he can continue," said Grondona as he left an AFA executive committee meeting in the early hours of Wednesday. The announcement came after Jose Pekerman, who had been favorite to take over, surprisingly stepped away from the post. "He decided not to accept the national team job nor will he continue working with the AFA," said Grondona who did not explain Peckerman's reasons for turning down the offer. Pekerman, the AFA's national teams co-ordinator, guided Argentina's under-20 team to the World Youth Championship titles in 1997 and 2001. His teams not only won but played with the style and flair Argentines expect from their teams. Bielsa has remained in isolation at his home in Rosario, around 300 kilometers north of Buenos Aires, since returning from the World Cup in South Korea and Japan. Argentina had arrived at the finals as favorite to win a third world title after storming through the South American qualifiers and winning friendlies away to France and Germany. Instead, it scored only two goals in three games and lost to archrival England. Bielsa has also received the backing of key players. On Monday, veteran striker Gabriel Batistuta -- who was controversially picked ahead of Hernan Crespo to start all three games -- said the coach should stay on. His views were echoed by Ariel Ortega and midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron. "Three matches must not be allowed to wipe out everything he did in four years," said Veron. Ortega added: "Bielsa has done a great job which should not go to waste." Bielsa is reportedly owed money by the cash-strapped AFA but Grondona said finances were not discussed at Tuesday's meeting.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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