Maradona asked by an assistant coach to stay on with Argentina after crushing loss to Germany

Argentina assistant wants coach Maradona to stay

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — One of Diego Maradona’s assistants wants him to stay, and a top Argentine football official said the job is his despite the team’s devastating 4-0 loss against Germany in the World Cup quarterfinals.

Assistant coach Alejandro Mancuso offered his support to Maradona in a radio interview on Monday, saying the national team’s staff wanted him to return.

“Knowing Diego, it is difficult for me to think he wants to step down after failing in his objective to win the cup,” Mancuso said. “We can’t throw away all the good work we’ve done.”

Maradona has not made his plans clear following Argentina’s second straight loss to Germany in a World Cup quarterfinal, but talked of “the end of a cycle” when the squad returned home from South Africa following Saturday’s game.

Cronica newspaper on Monday quoted Maradona as saying: “I gave all I had. Now I want to enjoy my family. Don’t worry, I’m not depressed.”

Luis Segura, a senior official with the Argentine Football Association, said Maradona’s contract has a clause that triggers an automatic extension through to the Copa America, which Argentina hosts next year. Segura said it is up to Maradona to decide what he will do.

Argentine Football Association senior official Luis Segura said Maradona’s contract has a clause that triggers an automatic extension through to the Copa America, which Argentina hosts next year.

“The one who will have to decide to continue or not is Maradona,” Segura said in an interview.

Argentina President Cristina Fernandez offered encouragement while speaking Monday in Buenos Aires.

“Bear up Maradona, the team and also bear up Argentina,” Fernandez said. “No Argentine has ever given so much joy on the field as Diego Armando Maradona.”

Fernandez also invited the team to the Casa Rosada, the president’s official offices.

“We are proud of what they did and we are finished crying because we’ve begun to prepare for 2014,” she said.

Maradona is expected to meet at some point with AFA president Julio Grondona, who appointed him to the job in October 2008.

Maradona’s stint with the national team has been up and down.

Argentina struggled to qualify for the World Cup, absorbing embarrassing losses to Bolivia (6-1) and Brazil (3-1). But the team seemed on course in South Africa after group-stage wins against Nigeria, South Korea and Greece.

It defeated Mexico 3-1 in the round of 16, leading Maradona to boast about the team’s scoring prowess. Then came the humiliating loss to Germany, which again led many to question Maradona’s coaching acumen.