Sackrilege

Diego Maradona was removed as coach of Argentinas national team,ending an erratic 21-month stint that mirrored his own long history

Diego Maradona was removed as coach of Argentinas national team on Tuesday,ending an erratic 21-month stint that mirrored his own long history of unpredictable behavior and culminated in a humiliating exit in the World Cup quarter-finals.

The Argentine Football Association,following a unanimous vote of its executive committee,said that his contract would not be renewed after Maradona had said he would only accept the AFAs offer of a new four-year deal if his entire staff also remained. That was unacceptable to AFA president Julio Grondona. He had asked for several assistants to be replaced. One of them is Maradonas close friend,Alejandro Mancuso.

The federations executive committee sided with Grondona,a little more than three weeks after Argentina were eliminated in the World Cup with a 4-0 loss to Germany. AFA spokesman Ernesto Cherquis Bialo called the decision very painful for the AFA but said there was no way to solve the impasse. The president said that there was a significant difference between what AFA wanted to achieve and Maradonas aspirations for the future, Cherquis Bialo said. There was a wide gap,and it was impossible to narrow it.

The AFA said youth team manager Sergio Batista would be the interim coach for the friendly against Ireland on August 11 in Dublin.

Despite Maradonas contract not being renewed,Cherquis Bialo hinted there might be a role in the future for him. This marks the end of a first chapter with Mr. Maradona, Cherquis Bialo said. The doors to this house,as always,will be open to him.

Possible successors include two club coaches in Argentina: Alejandro Sabella of Estudiantes and Miguel Russo of Racing. Former Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa has also been mentioned as an option.

Asked who will be the new coach,Cherquis Bialo offered nothing. The people who were in the meeting have no name in their imaginations, Cherquis Bialo said. It has just been announced that the contract with the coach will not be renewed,and so,a new stage begins.

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Maradona tried to do it his way,a style which brought him glory in leading Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title. Diego shut himself off to any change, executive committee member Luis Segura said on Argentine televison. Diego has all the right to do what he wants. But so does AFA.

Maradona became Argentinas coach in November 2008,replacing Alfio Basile and taking over a team he led to Argentinas second World Cup title. His results were mixed. He had little coaching experience,and the team suffered two of the worst losses in history: a 6-1 hammering at Bolivia in World Cup qualifying,and the recent World Cup defeat to Germany.

Argentina played with flair in South Africa,notably Lionel Messi,Gonzalo Higuain and Carlos Tevez. But Maradonas inexperience was obvious in the loss to Germany,which exposed Argentinas defensive frailties. Dressed in a gray suit,Maradonas enthusiastic and demonstrative antics on the sidelines simply failed to mask his tactical deficiencies.

Later Maradona also got offside with the government of President Cristina Fernandez,who twice invited him to meet with her. She had been openly supportive of keeping him as coach,while one legislator has even proposed building a monument to honour him.

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Cabinet chief Anibal Fernandez said Maradona failed to respond or answer the phone,forcing the presidents secretaries to leave messages. Two weeks ago,the AFA offered Maradona the chance to renew his contract for another four years. But Maradona put off meeting with Grondona to travel to Venezuela at the invitation of his friend,President Hugo Chavez.