Firstly off the sanity.
Now for the madness
This also means that the second division this year is absolutely useless other than making sure that you don't get relegated. Grondona.
Sergio Batista has been sacked as coach of Argentina's national football team, it was announced on Monday.
Batista took over the reins at the South American powerhouse from legendary player Diego Maradona 12 months ago - initially in a caretaker position, before being handed the role proper.
The Argentine Football Association's executive committee met on Monday, and made the decision to move on the 48-year-old former Argentina international.
The move comes swiftly following Argentina's failure to fire at their hosting of the Copa America, registering just one victory and bowing out in the quarter-finals, despite holding aces such as Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain.
Lasting in the job just under one year (he was hired on July 27, 2010, and fired on July 25), Batista most memorably steered Argentina to a 4-1 win over World Cup holders Spain and also to a 1-0 win over Brazil.
His luck ran out at the recent Copa, which Uruguay won for the 15th time in their history, when pressure on his star-studded side saw Messi struggle to enforce his influence, and resulted in Tevez missing the decisive penalty in the shootout against the eventual champions.
AFA spokesman Cherquis Bialo confirmed the decision at a press conference.
"I would like to inform you that after a cordial and friendly telephone conversation between Sergio Batista and (AFA president) Julio Grondona, Mr Batista left the decision to the selection committee," he explained.
"The committee has decided to rescind its contract with Batista and suspend the friendly match with Romania to consider who will take on the duties of the national team."
"There are no deadlines to decide a successor; the decision will be made in time."
"Meanwhile, the rest of the national team coaches will be reviewed and evaluated."
Former Estudiantes coach Alejandro Sabella, Paraguay boss Gerardo Martino and Carlos Bianchi, formerly with Boca Juniors and Atletico Madrid, have been linked to fill the vacancy.
Now for the madness
The Argentine Football Association has decided to combine the Top and National B Division of their football ladder to create one season-long, 40 round season. As part of the change, season averages and relegation promotions will be eliminated with the bottom four teams in the table being automatically relegated each season. According to AFA spokesman Ernesto Cherquis Bialo, the new competition format is expected to be begin in August 2012.'
It is a major change for a country that pioneered the Apertura/Clausura split-season format in 1990 and has seen 16 other countries in Latin America follow suit by implementing the format since. The format is being change will ensure that the top teams will not be relegated like River Plate were this season. River's relegation will be a major financial hit to the league and also led to rioting in Buenos Aires as the historic club was knocked out of the top division for the first time in club history.
Now that the motion has been proposed and approved by the AFA, an assembly will finalize all the details of the new competition format on October 18. One of the things that the assembly will have to determine is how the teams will classify to the all-important Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana.
This also means that the second division this year is absolutely useless other than making sure that you don't get relegated. Grondona.
