On a night when fan violence, players fighting, and an upset victory were all on display, Lionel Scaloni may have handed the night’s most unexpected moment. After defeating Brazil 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier, Lionel Scaloni stated in his press conference he may step down as manager of the Argentine national team.
“I have to think a lot about what to do with my future,” Scaloni said. “This group demands you permanently, you have to have maximum energy. It’s not a goodbye but the bar is very high.”
Now according to TyC Sports there are various reasons as to why Scaloni wants to step down, some are personal, and some have to do with the Argentine federation.
The reasons Lionel Scaloni may step down
According to TyC Sports, one of the main reasons Lionel Scaloni may step away from Argentina is because of a now shaky relationship with AFA president Claudio Tapia, after what was reported as a grueling renegotiation process on his new contract after Argentina won the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In the end Scaloni signed a contract until December of 2026, which will take him six months past the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico, and Canada. It was reported that AFA and Scaloni were not seeing eye to eye on the final numbers of his deal but after a long process it was negotiated but still left a sour taste in the coach’s mouth.
Scaloni is also reported to be worried about the generational shift on the national team, as Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, and Nicolás Otamendi are all gaining in age and the manager values these players highly. Seeing their end as his end on the team.
Scaloni, quite frankly, could be the greatest Argentine national team manager of all time winning every tournament at his disposal, FIFA World Cup: 2022, Copa América: 2021 (third place: 2019), and the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions: 2022.
