Edgardo Bauza Appointed Argentina Manager: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

The Argentina national team has reportedly hired Sao Paulo manager Edgardo Bauza to succeed Gerardo Martino as its coach.The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has yet to confirm the hire, but Goal's Daniel Edwards shared a statement from Sao Paulo about Bauza's departure: "Sao Paulo announce that [Bauza] has revealed he received and accepted on Monday evening an offer from the [AFA] to take over the national team. As a result, he will leave the post of coach of the Tricolor."The 58-year-old has managed various club teams throughout South America. Most famously, he led LDU Quito to a Copa Libertadores title in 2008 and won the tournament again with San Lorenzo in 2014. In each case, it was the club's first Libertadores triumph.Argentine football writers Sam Kelly and Peter Coates weren't overly ecstatic with the hire but acknowledged that the AFA wasn't in a position to be picky:Bauza will have to tackle some difficult tasks as soon as he assumes coaching duties.For one, he'll have to coax Lionel Messi back out of international retirement. The last few international tournaments have illustrated how reliant on the Barcelona forward Argentina are. As many talented attackers as La Albiceleste have, Messi is the one player they can least afford to be without.Of course, far more important are the chronic problems plaguing the AFA.The 2014 death of former AFA president Julio Grondona has created a major power vacuum in the organization. Luis Segura, who replaced Grondona, was charged with fraud in June over his handling of television broadcasting rights.Shortly thereafter, FIFA announced it had assumed control of the AFA in hopes of cleaning things up by the end of June 2017.Bauza can only do so much to remedy the AFA's issues behind the scenes, and that dysfunction has bled onto the pitch, as evidenced by Messi's abrupt retirement.Argentina sit third in 2017 World Cup qualification in South America through six games. They're only two points ahead of Brazil and Paraguay, who are sixth and seventh. The top four teams automatically advance to the World Cup, and the fifth-place team will face a two-legged playoff.Argentina's place in the CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation) standings is far from secure, and should the country miss out on the World Cup for the first time since 1970, there's a good chance the AFA will be looking for another coach.
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