Argentina confirm sacking of head coach Edgardo Bauza, Jorge Sampaoli lined up as replacement

Argentina Football Association's newly elected president Claudio Tapia has confirmed the national team have parted ways with their manager Edgardo Bauza.

The 59-year-old replaced former Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino as Argentina's head coach on 1 August 2016. However, he has been shown the exit door after a series of poor results in the World Cup qualifiers that has put their chances of making it to Russia in 2018 in jeopardy.

"We've reached an agreement, we've told Bauza he's ceased to be the national team coach," Tapia, who was elected as the 55<sup>th president of the Argentine FA in March, told reporters.

Bauza was in charge of the two-time World Cup winners for eight matches and all of them came in the World Cup qualifiers. Out of those fixtures, he has managed only three wins, while settling for two draws and suffered three defeats in the remaining five matches.

The defeat in the World Cup qualifiers came at the hands of Paraguay, Brazil and Bolivia. Bauza's final game in charge was against Bolivia that saw Argentina suffer a 2-0 defeat during the last international break.

Argentina are currently sitting in the fifth spot in the World Cup qualifiers table with 22 points after 14 matches, trailing fourth place Chile by a point. Only the top four teams will be assured of a place in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, while the fifth-placed team will qualify for the playoff against a team from Oceania.

Brazil, who are leading the table, became the first team outside of the host nation to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Argentina have four World Cup qualifiers left and will be without their star player Lionel Messi after Fifa handed the Barcelona ace a four-match ban for abusing linesman Marcelo Van Gasse in Argentina's 1-0 win over Chile on 23 March.

According to the Daily Mail, Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli is the leading candidate to replace Bauza as Argentina's head coach. The La Liga manager stepped down from his post as Chile coach six months after helping them win the 2015 Copa America.

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone is also in contention for the job, but it is unlikely that he will leave his current position at the Spanish capital club. Argentina FA officials will arrive in Spain and try to convince Sampaoli to take the national team job after the end of the 2016/17 season.