Argentine players reportedly told the country's FA that they had "lost any trust" in Jorge Sampaoli.GETTY IMAGES
Argentina's World Cup squad "is in revolt after a failed coup attempt against coach Jorge Sampaoli," according to Martin Lipton of THE SUN. Lionel Messi and his teammates "are understood to have demanded the head" of Sampaoli "in the wake of the humiliating defeat by Croatia" on Thursday. The team was "given a lifeline" by Nigeria’s win over Iceland and would be "odds on to reach the last 16" if it can beat Nigeria on Tuesday. On Friday, Argentine players told Argentine FA execs in "crisis talks" that they had "lost any trust" in Sampaoli. Defender Javier Mascherano "was said to have been the leader of the attempt to force out Sampaoli" (THE SUN, 6/24). In Madrid, Juan Castro reported Mascherano said, "The relationship with Sampaoli is totally normal. If we felt uncomfortable with him, we'd say so" (MARCA, 6/24). The AFP reported a statement from an Argentine team official said, "It's absolutely false. All that has been said about a players' meeting or anything else, it is all false" (AFP, 6/22).
