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Despite requests from the Argentine Football Association (AFA) president to stay in his position, Jose Pekerman officially left the post of head coach of the Argentine national team on Wednesday.
J. Pekerman decided to step down after the national team, under his guidance, lost to the hosts Germany in the quarterfinals of the World Cup after a penalty shootout. The coach informed the team of his decision upon their return to Buenos Aires.
AFA President Julio Grondona tried for a while to persuade J. Pekerman to stay, but this week he reconciled with the coach's decision and accepted his resignation statement.
"I spoke with Pekerman and he told me he did not want to continue working with the national team," Grondona said. "It was something that was always possible and I am relaxed about it."
The most realistic candidates to take Pekerman's place are considered to be Carlos Bilardo, who coached the Argentine national team to victory in the 1986 World Cup, former legendary players Diego Maradona and Gabriel Batistuta, as well as former Mexico national team coach Ricardo Lavolpe.
"We will see what happens next. I haven't thought about it yet, because all of this is very new. We will wait for the next week, we don't have any names right now," Grondona told the newspaper "Clarin."
