English Premier League giants Chelsea have been put on alert after it was officially announced that Jorge Sampaoli will be leaving his position as manager of the Chilean national team.
The Blues, who recently parted with Jose Mourinho, have been linked with several names such as Pep Guardiola, Diego Simeone, and Claudio Ranieri; however, the 55-year-old remains on top of the London giants’ list of potential managers to replace interim boss Guus Hiddink for next season.
Sampaoli, having guided La Roja to their first ever Copa America title in history in last summer’s tournament, parts way with the national side after falling out with the newly-elected president of the national football federation ANFP.
Jorge cited lack of respect as ground for seeking an exit after details of his contract were revealed to the press.
However, his departure came at a huge cost, as he had to relinquish his Copa America bonus whilst also agreeing to paying a fee to the national football federation against his next football contract.
“With this step, the board of the ANFP has achieved the goal of resolving the current situation affecting the national team, avoiding uncertainty involving potential lengthy court actions,” read a statement.
Sampaoli pictured with ANFP president Arturo Salah after his Chile exit was announced
ANFP president Arturo Salah stated that with the matter of Sampaoli having ended, Chile will now focus on making the next World Cup in Russia.
“Now we will dedicate ourselves to this priority, to do everything possible to qualify for the World Cup in Russia in 2018.”
Man City boss Manuel Pellegrini is tipped as favorite the likely successor to Sampaoli, with Guardiola expected to take over the Citizens next season, but the ex-Malaga man distanced himself from the Chile job.
“I hope to remain with competitive teams in Europe, I am not thinking about returning to Chile at least for the next three or four years,” Pellegrini revealed.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Follow the game on-the-go
Download our iOS and Android apps to follow soccer on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.
