Sergio Batista has agreed to step down as coach of Argentina after their quarter-final exit at the Copa America.
Hosts Argentina went out to champions Uruguay on penalties in the last eight.
Batista, 48, had been in charge for a year, initially on a caretaker basis, after Diego Maradona was dismissed following the 2010 World Cup.
An Argentine Football Association (AFA) spokesman said Batista had not been sacked, but it had been decided to “rescind” the coach’s contract.
“He put his future as the head of the national team up for consideration by the executive committee,” added spokesman Ernesto Bialo.
Argentina, whose last major trophy was their 1993 Copa America triumph, has cancelled a friendly scheduled for 10 August against Romania in Bucharest. “The coaching staff of Argentina teams at all levels are under evaluation by the national teams commission,” added Bialo. “There are no deadlines, there’s no rush, no urgency [to appoint a new coach] so there will be a process of consideration and study.”
Batista oversaw a disappointing Copa America campaign that started with Argentina drawing their first two group games, against Bolivia and Colombia.
They beat Costa Rica 3-0 to qualify for the last eight, but then lost on penalties to neighbours Uruguay after a 1-1 draw.
Argentina’s team boasted an array of world stars, including current World Player of the Year Lionel Messi of Barcelona, his Barca team-mate Javier Mascherano, formerly of Liverpool, and Manchester City target Sergio Aguero, but Batista failed to match that talent with results.
Maradona, who captained Argentina to their last World Cup triumph in 1986 but fared less successfully as coach of the national team, was critical of Batista’s reign.
?