FA President Claudio Tapia rubishes Argentina coach Jorge Samapoli's dismissal

Argentina faced a crushing 0-3 defeat from Croatia, after which news of their coach being sacked started surfacing.

Image Courtesy: EFE

Argentina are facing a tough time in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2018 following their draw against Iceland followed by a humiliating 0-3 defeat to Croatia which put them on verge of elimination. After the onfiled disaster, Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli was rumored to be sacked after a few players allegedly revolted against his 'tactics' and 'plan' for the team.

According to a report by English news website The Guardian, the squad revolted after the loss to Croatia. The team is also reported to have got in touch Jorge Burruchaga, the general manager at Football Association (FA) and 1986 World Cup winner, to replace Sampaoli.

However, Claudio Tapia, the current FA president for Argentina, dismissed speculations of Sampaoli being sacked accusing media of “hurting the national team”.

There were also speculations of Sampaoli not deciding the playing XI for the do-or-die match against Nigeria and in a press conference at St. Petersburg on Tuesday, he offered no clues about the same. The last five days have specifically been crucial for Argentina and especially Sampaoli after facing criticism from players like the legendary Diego Maradona.

According to The Guardian's report, Maradona accused the 58-year-old coach of lacking a plan and blamed Tapia for his failure to plan ahead. The report further added Sampaoli's response for his position as: “The week went from low to high, and with respect to what was said, I cannot clarify things that did not exist. They make you feel like a criminal because you lost a game.”

However, in a press conference at St. Petersburg, the embattled Argentine coach said that his side will show the "best version" of itself against Nigeria.