Alfio Basile - new coach of Argentina national team (1 Aug 2006 18:11 GMT)
Alfio Basile has been appointed coach of Argentina national time for the second time. He was already coach in early 90ths.
However, Basile says he'll continue to manage Boca Juniors for six more weeks to give Boca more time to find his replacement.
He'll then step down and take over Argentina on Sept. 15, as agreed with Julio Grondona, president of the Argentine Football Association, in half-hour talks on Monday.
"We have agreed with the AFA president that Basile will lead Boca through the Recopa Sudamericana tournament," Boca president Mauricio Macri said at a news conference with Basile.
The decision was "common sense," Macri said, as the AFA did not wish to "harm" Boca by forcing an abrupt departure by Basile just as the first-division Apertura season starts on Sunday.
Basile said he looked forward to coaching Boca through the Recopa in early September, when Boca faces Sao Paulo of Brazil.
"Thank God everything is cleared up," he said. "Tomorrow I will be coaching Boca as always."
He said he had yet to sign a contract to lead the national team but made clear it was just a matter of completing details - and that he looked forward to returning to the national coaching post he held from 1990 to 1994.
"Obviously I'm very proud to return to coaching the national team. I will join them with great enthusiasm because of the great number of top-notch players," he said.
The AFA approached Basile about replacing Jose Pekerman as manager of the Albicelestes shortly after Pekerman resigned after Argentina was eliminated in the World Cup quarterfinals.
source : Associated Press/FoxSports