Argentina appoint Bauza as coach

Argentina has appointed former international Edgardo Bauza as head coach, filling the void left by Gerardo Martino.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) made the announcement on Monday, shortly after Brazilian club Sao Paulo revealed Bauza, 58, had accepted an offer to lead the national team.

Argentina had been seeking a replacement for Martino, who resigned following the country's heartbreaking penalty shoot-out loss to Chile in the Copa America Centenario final in June, with Jorge Sampaoli and Marcelo Bielsa linked.

But the AFA has now turned to Bauza and the three-time international is set to inherit a squad in turmoil following Lionel Messi's stunning decision to retire from international football.

At a media conference, the AFA said: "We have decided to name Edgardo Bauza as head coach.

"We have spoken with several candidates and Bauza was chosen.

"Friday he's going to be in Argentina and we will talk about the coaching staff and other outstanding issues."

Bauza has been in charge of Sao Paulo since December 2015, leading the South American giants to the semi-finals of this year's Copa Libertadores.

Prior to that, he won league titles with Sporting Cristal in Peru and LDU Quito in Ecuador, while also winning the Copa Libertadores with the latter.

Bauza also hoisted the Copa Libertadores trophy aloft with San Lorenzo in 2014.

Earlier, Sao Paulo released a statement which read: "Edgardo Bauza has revealed he received and accepted on Monday evening an offer from the Argentine Football Association [AFA] to take over the national team.

"As a result, he will leave the post of coach of the Tricolor.

"Hired at the start of the season, Paton leaves the club after eight months of important work rebuilding the team. The board wishes to thank the coach and wish them luck in his new challenge."