BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - Argentina national football coach Marcelo Bielsa has resigned from his post just over two weeks since he guided them to their first ever Olympic title, a national league spokesman told AFP.
The 49-year-old Bielsa, nicknamed the 'madman' for his eccentric press conferences and his volatile temperament, is due to give a press conference at 2300 GMT.
Argentinian Football Association president Julio Grondona said that Bielsa was battle weary.
"It's logical after such a long time in the post that he feels exhausted," said Grondona.
"However I am surprised that it has come now especially as he is having a really good time on the pitch," added Grondona, who kept Bielsa in the post despite calls for him to go when Argentina failed to fire at the 2002 World Cup finals.
Grondona said the successor to Bielsa should be announced during the executive board's meeting on Tuesday.
Bielsa, brother of Argentinian foreign secretary Rafael, had fallen out of favour after Argentina crashed out of thos World Cup finals at the first hurdle but restored some of his popularity by reaching this year's Copa America final where they lost to Brazil.
Victory at the Olympics where they beat Paraguay 1-0 in the final and did not concede a goal in the tournament led many to believe he would stay on in his post till after the 2006 World Cup finals.
The most popular candidate to replace him is Carlos Bianchi, who resigned from the Boca Juniors coaching post at the beginning of July citing family reasons.
Bianchi, though, is no friend of Grondona's, though the Argentinian football supremo accepted last December that he would one day coach the national side.
Other possibilities for the job should Grondona find Bianchi not to his taste again, are former Valencia and Inter Milan coach Hector Cuper or former national coach Carlos Bilardo, who coached Argentina to the 1986 World Cup trophy.