|
Under-fire Argentina Football Federation president Luis Segura has said that no one has the authority to elect a new national team coach at the moment and denied media reports out of Italy that Marcelo Bielsa has been named to replace outgoing manager Gerardo Martino. Martino resigned as head coach of Argentina last week, less than two weeks after the Albiceleste's Copa America Centenario final loss on penalties to Chile and days before the Olympic team was to begin training. Segura -- a member of FIFA's ruling council -- was charged last month with fraud related to TV broadcasting rights and is currently out of power after FIFA named a "normalisation committee" to run daily affairs. Elections must be organised by July 2017. "AFA is not looking for a coach today. No one has the power to elect a manager of the Argentina national team," Segura told reporters. Segura denied reports from a RAI radio show that Marcelo Bielsa will be the next coach of the national team. "[Gerardo] Martino did not give AFA any warning. Although his resignation was a complete surprise, I want to make it clear that we are on friendly terms with him," Segura said. He blamed team owners in the Argentine league for problems currently facing Olympic team coach Julio Olarticoechea regarding the recruitment of players, accusing the clubs of not releasing key players for the tournament, which runs from Aug. 5-21. "We will send a complete team to Rio. [Recruitment] was complicated by Martino's resignation," he said. "We weren't expecting it. But we have Olarticoechea. What is happening now is that the clubs are not helping at all. "The clubs did a complete turn-around. The clubs from Argentina should allow their players to play because we cannot demand that the European clubs do that [release players]," he said. Atletico Madrid did not authorise Luciano Vietto to play in Rio and he was replaced last week with Sao Paulo forward Jonathan Calleri. Sevilla, who are poised to sign Joaquin Correa this week from Sampdoria have also announced that the midfielder won't be released to Argentina for the Olympics. Argentina have replaced him with River Plate's Joaquin Arzura.
|
