Argentina’s World Cup-winning coach Lionel Scaloni is considering his future.
Scaloni hinted at quitting the role in the immediate aftermath of his team’s 1-0 World Cup qualifying win against Brazil, threatening to end a period of glorious success for Argentina.
The 45-year-old, who took over in 2018, led the Albiceleste to the 2021 Copa America title and his side backed up that triumph by also winning the World Cup in Qatar last year.
There had been no hint he had been contemplating his future so it was a surprise when he started his post-match news conference, in which he took no questions, by saying: “Argentina needs a coach who has all the energy possible and who is well…I need to stop the ball and start thinking, I have a lot of things to think about during this time.
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“These players have given a lot to the coaching staff and I need to think a lot about what I’m going to do.
“It’s not goodbye or anything, but I need to think because the bar is very high and it’s complicated to keep going and it’s complicated to keep winning.
“These guys are making it difficult, so I need to think about it for a while. I will talk to the FA president and the players afterwards.”
Nicolas Otamendi scored the only goal at the Maracana with a towering header in a match that was delayed by clashes between fans and the police.
