Sevilla head coach Jorge Sampaoli on Friday said he can’t turn down the chance to coach Argentina and he has a few clauses in his contract that allow him to leave the Spanish football club – which will be taken care of by the Argentine football association and the club according to reports from First Post.
“My contract with the club has a few clauses enabling me to leave. There is a clear intention on the part of my country to have me as their manager and I have wanted this opportunity from a young age. It’s an opportunity that I turned down when I took over at Sevilla in pre-season but is still there,” Sampaoli said at a news conference, as posted on Sevilla’s website.
“I feel that I would only stop my career – and everything that I’ve done to become a manager in one of the best leagues – to go and manage Argentina. It’s something that I can’t turn down now. But the president is in charge of this, there’s a contract to respect and nothing has been resolved yet. That said, my contract has a few clauses that allow me to leave,” he added.
Argentina fired head coach Edgardo Bauza in April after just eight games in charge which saw a floundering 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign so far. At the fifth spot in their World Cup qualifying group and, with just four matches left to play, Argentina are at risk of missing out on the Russia meet.
Sampaoli has reportedly a release clause of 1.5 million euros.
“The matter of the contract has to be cleared up between the club and the (Argentina) Federation. In the last meeting I had with the president I conveyed that I was keen to manage the match on Saturday, that there was no chance of me not doing that.
“Now if they reach an understanding it has to be between them, AFA and Club, it’s something I want to be settled without breaks, it’s important for me that there’s understanding on both sides.”
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