The Argentine Football Association has extended the contract of its national team coach, Lionel Scaloni, until the 2030 World Cup finals, the local federation announced Thursday.
The announcement of the renewal of Scaloni's contract came during a press conference held by the President of the Argentine Federation, Claudio Tapia, in the presence of the 48-year-old coach, who shed tears due to the event.
Tapia said that Scaloni, who led Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and to the final of this year's edition in North America, will become the Argentine coach most participating in the World Cup finals when his contract expires.
In turn, Scaloni assured reporters that he feels the same enthusiasm that accompanied him “on the first day” of assuming the mission.
He said: “A new project begins now,” a month after Lionel Messi, the most prominent star in the national team for 20 years, announced his retirement from international football.
Scaloni raised doubts about his future with the national team after Argentina lost to Spain 0-1 in the World Cup final on July 19 in New Jersey, and witnessed a tense atmosphere and great tension.
Scaloni has been coaching the Argentine national team for 8 years, specifically since September 2018, following the disappointing campaign in the World Cup in Russia, where Argentina exited the tournament in the round of 16.
Scaloni took on one of the most prominent tasks in the world of football, without any previous experience in the field of coaching, but he succeeded in building a team that many consider the best in the history of Argentine football.
In addition to the 2022 World Cup title, he led Argentina to win two Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024.
His next mission is to lead the national team towards a new stage, in the absence of its most prominent star, Messi, 39 years old, who has been its main pillar for many years.
Scaloni said after losing to Spain in the final: “What must remain is the spirit of the team, and this feeling of unity between the players and the people.”
An American judge on Thursday rejected an attempt by companies affiliated with FIFA in the United States to interfere in the efforts of the European Football Association (UEFA) to obtain evidence, in preparation for filing a criminal case in Switzerland against FIFA President Gianni Infantino regarding his canceled plan to sell commercial rights to the World Cup.
US District Court Judge Janet Vargas said in her ruling: “The American parties affiliated with FIFA have no direct, substantial, and legally protected interest in the subject matter of this request.”
She added: “In light of this determination, the court exercises its discretion to refuse to grant permission to intervene.”
UEFA had requested permission to obtain certificates and documents from entities affiliated with FIFA in Florida for use in a criminal complaint it intends to file in Switzerland against Infantino and other FIFA officials regarding the $20 billion plan to sell World Cup rights, known as “FIFA Forward Enterprise,” which it has since withdrawn.
In a request for intervention submitted in September, FIFA asked the court to postpone a decision on UEFA’s request, or to allow it to object to the request.
The International Federation argued that UEFA was seeking evidence for “alleged (but non-existent) Swiss criminal proceedings,” and that it aimed to obstruct the “FIFA Forward Enterprise” proposal from the beginning.
FIFA withdrew from that proposal on July 31 after objection from UEFA and other continental federations.
