Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni says he'll remain in charge of the national side for as long as the authorities of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) want him to.
Scaloni, 46, led the Albiceleste to glory at the Qatar World Cup in December 2022 and his future has been the subject of regular speculation.
But the Argentine coach moved to shoot down renewed reports that he may consider his position in the wake of the upcoming Copa América in the United States.
‘There is no doubt that I am the coach and [will be] until the president of the AFA wants me to," Scaloni told reporters on Sunday from Miami, where the national team is meeting up for two friendlies before the 2024 Copa América.
The president of AFA is Claudio 'Chiqui' Tapia.
"The doubts were in November," he clarified. "I'm with full energy, which in November, to be honest, I wasn't."
Last November, Scaloni had surprised onlookers a press conference by saying that his situation was "complicated" and that he needed to "think a lot" about the future.
With his continuation in the post now assured, Scaloni has decided to call up 29 players for the friendlies against Ecuador in Chicago on June 9 and Guatemala on June 13 in Washington.
For the Copa América, he will have to cut three players to make a final squad of 26.
Argentina, who will be looking to retain the continental title won at Brazil-2021, will play in Group A. They kick off their campaign on June 20 against Canada in Atlanta, then meet Chile on 25 June in East Rutherford and finally play Peru on June 29 in Miami.
– TIMES/AFP
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