Maradona set to leave Argentina post

BUNNIES IRIS: Diego Maradona has left his post as Argentina boss after a unanimous vote from the Argentine Football Association. Maradona had been offered a new four-year contract but said he would only continue on condition that his backroom staff remained. He met with AFA president Julio Grondona on Monday, but the differences between the parties could not be resolved. Grondona revealed details of the talks to the board on Tuesday and AFA spokesman Ernesto Cherquis Bialo has now confirmed Maradona's deal will not be renewed. "There was a big chasm that made it impossible to find an agreement," he said. "We will not renew the contract. For the match against Spain, scheduled for September 7, we may already have the new coach." A statement on the AFA website added: "The president of the Argentinean Football Association, Julio Grondona, made the members of the executive committee aware of the conversation with Diego Maradona, setting out the points which had come out from the meeting. "The executive committee unanimously resolved not to renew the contract with Mr Diego Maradona as coach of the Argentina national football team." Maradona faced heavy criticism during his time in charge of the national side, with the team struggling during qualification for this summer's World Cup before exiting at the quarter-final stage with a 4-0 defeat to Germany.