End of the road for Maradona

Diego Maradona's contract as coach of the Argentine national soccer team will not be renewed, the spokesman for the Argentine Football Association said Tuesday.

The decision was made unanimously by the association's executive committee Tuesday afternoon, after a meeting Monday night between Maradona and the association's president, Julio Grondona, said Ernesto Cherquis Bialo.

Sergio Batista, currently coach of the Argentine national youth program and coach of the 2008 gold-medal winning Olympic team, will take over temporarily, Cherquis said.

Batista will coach the team for an August 11 friendly match against Ireland in Dublin.

Under Maradona, Argentina reached the quarterfinals of this year's World Cup in South Africa, before being thrashed 4-0 by Germany.