Argentina coach under fire

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP):

Julio Grondona, the powerful president of the Argentine Football Association, turned up the heat on coach Sergio Batista yesterday following a humiliating 4-1 loss to Nigeria.

Grondona, who hired Batista last year after firing Diego Maradona, accused Batista of gambling with "the prestige of the national team". He also blamed him for scheduling Wednesday's friendly against Nigeria and fielding a reserve line-up without stars like Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez.

Argentina play Poland on Sunday with the same backup team. The matches come a month before Argentina open the Copa America - the South American championship. Expectations run high in Argentina, who won their last World Cup 25 years ago. Argentina have not won a major title since the Copa America 18 years ago.

"Mourning for the national team shirt,'' read a headline in yesterday's edition of the sports daily Ole.

"The team was not only thumped,'' added the daily Clarin. "It waltzed through the match. No matter what players are playing, it's not normal to see an Argentine team go down like this.''

Argentina played the match with only two players who were named earlier in the week in the preliminary squad for the Copa America: defender Pablo Zabaleta of Manchester City and Ezequiel Garay of Real Madrid.

"Both displayed alarming play,'' the newspaper Diario Popular said. "None of the 15 players on the field yesterday, if one judges for what they did in this match, merits being called up again.''

Grondona went out of his way to criticise Batista in a telephone interview Thursday from Zurich.

"One can't raffle off the prestige of the national team,'' Grondona told Mitre radio station. "These games are not to make money, and Batista asked for these matches. ... At times it's good to see if it serves us to have these matches. But the national team must have its standards.''