Sergio Batista was appoined as coach of Argentina on Tuesday, just over three months after Diego Maradona departed in the wake of the country's loss to Germany in the World Cup quarterfinals.
Batista had been the acting coach since Maradona's contract was not renewed in late July and his appointment to a four-year contract by theArgentine Football Association was widely expected. In charge for three matches, he has won two, including a 4-1 victory over World Cup winner Spain. The only blemish was a 1-0 loss last month against Japan.
Batista's first match as the permanent coach will be Nov. 17 against archrival Brazil in Doha, Qatar. The team for the match was also announced Tuesday, headed by Barcelona star Lionel Messi.
Batista, who turns 48 next week, was Maradona's teammate and a defensive midfielder on the 1986 team that won the World Cup. A youth coach for the Argentine Football Association, his name began to take on a higher profile after leading Argentina to the gold medal in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
The new coach seems to have the support of stars like Messi, who also spoke favorably about Maradona's 21 months in charge. In that period, Argentina won 18 of 24 games but also suffered shock losses including a 6-1 hammering at Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier. The 4-0 loss to Germany in the quarterfinals was humiliating for one of football's most fervent nations and two-time champions.
Maradona still has his supporters and, as recently as last week, said in an interview he expected to return one day as the national team coach.
"It is my destiny," said Maradona, who turned 50 on Saturday.
Maradona and Batista have a frosty relationship, although Maradona said he would support the national team - no matter who was in charge.
"Above everything else, I'm an Argentine," he said.
Batista dodged one of his first questions after being named, declining to talk about the Maradona era.
"We begin a new stage now," he said. "I don't look back. I'm not going to talk about the past - I have no reason to. There is a lot of work until 2014 and I have to worry about this. I don't like to speak about other things that are not about football."
He did not hesitate to talk about bringing Argentina its third World Cup title.
"I hope I don't let this opportunity get away," he said. "And in 2014 I want to be able to win what everyone wants."
Maradona's continued influence was clear last week when he stood next to Argentina President Cristina Fernandez at the funeral of her husband, former Argentina president Nestor Kirchner. Maradona embraced Fernandez and spent an hour at her side as they both caressed Kirchner's coffin.
The former No. 10, regarded as one of the game's greatest players, is a larger-than-life icon in Argentina who beat cocaine and alcohol addiction. But he wore out his welcome as coach in some quarters, fielding a team that was up-and-down and often lacked tactical discipline.
Maradona made his exit in late July after he declined to fire members of his coaching staff to keep his job, a condition imposed by AFA president Julio Grondona for renewing the contract. It was Grondona who hired Maradona and who also picked Batista, a choice rubber-stamped by an AFA selection committee.
Since being let go, Maradona has recanted and said he would consider hiring new assistants. But his name never seemed to be in consideration among the coaches mentioned as possibilities: Alejandro Sabella of Estudiantes, Miguel Angel Russo of Racing Club and Carlos Bianchi, who is without a club.
Batista keeps a lower profile than Maradona. His first job will be to win next year's continental championship - the Copa America - which is hosted by Argentina. Brazil and Argentina are the initial favorites, but they will face competition from powerful World Cup qualifiers like Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com