Bahrain soccer coach Sergio Batista last night refused to comment on his future with the national team following reports in a section of the media that he had handed in his resignation letter to Bahrain Football Association (BFA) just 10 months into the job.
BFA are yet to respond to the resignation letter officially, but initial reports suggest they will most likely reject it.
Batista, however, was seen at Bahrain National Stadium in Isa Town last night supervising a training camp for Bahrain’s World Cup qualifier against the Philippines next month.
Batista, who was part of the Argentine World Cup winning team in 1986, signed a two-year deal last May to see Bahrain through to the World Cup, but won only two of his six games to keep the team alive only in the running for a berth in the 2019 Asian Cup.
Upon accepting the job, Batista was hopeful of a successful stint but faced his first defeat at the hands of the Philippines just nine days after signing the contract.
The coach blamed the loss to his unfamiliarity with the Bahraini players as he did not have enough time to choose his own rooster and was given the players called up for the previous fixture.
Batista’s training methods also got him a lot of heat from the local media as the coach refused multiple chances to play friendly games to strengthen his players’ adaptability to his tactics, which made the players seem lost during official matches.
The delay of the league was also another obstacle that faced the 53-year-old coach as he was unable to choose a strong side and was forced to make minimal changes.