ARGENTINA’S World Cup squad is in revolt after a failed coup attempt against coach Jorge Sampaoli.

Lionel Messi and Co are understood to have demanded the head of the former Chile boss in the wake of the humiliating defeat by Croatia.

The 2014 finalists were given a lifeline by Nigeria’s win over Iceland and would be odds on to reach the last 16 if they can beat the Africans in St Petersburg in Tuesday.

But that was the prompt for senior players to tell Argentine FA chiefs in crisis talks they had lost any trust in the coach.

The crunch meeting on Friday night saw the 23 squad members demand a meeting at the team hotel with Sampaoli, his coaching staff and Argentine FA President Claudio Tapia.

Javier Mascherano was said to have been the leader of the attempt to force out Sampaoli, with the midfielder demanding change at the helm as part of a “pact for life” before the Nigeria game.

The players wanted 1986 World Cup winning midfielder Jorge Barruchaga, currently the general manager of the national side, to replace Sampaoli.

One of Burrachaga’s 1986 team-mates, Ricardo Giusti, a close friend of the general manager, the mood was brutal.

Giusti said: “The players want to build the team.

“They told Sampaoli and Tapia that they are going to pick the side. Sampaoli can sit on the bench if he wants, but it won’t matter. It will be nothing to do with him.”

Sampaoli switched from a defensive quartet against Iceland to three at the back for the disastrous Croatia defeat, leaving his squad unconvinced the coach had any strategic planning.

It was also claimed that Mascherano and striker Cristian Pavon came to blows in the dressing room after the Croatia match when the former Liverpool midfielder lashed out verbally at blunder keeper Willy Caballero.

Despite the demands of the players, Sampaoli was given a stay of execution by Tapia after being summoned to the President’s room at Argentina’s base in Bronnitsy, 60 miles outside Moscow.

Sampaoli, though, was told that while he will stay on as coach for the rest of the World Cup, he WILL be sacked at the end of the tournament.

It was suggested that the FA wants Sampaoli to quit but that would mean him giving up claims for a pay-off.

Yet the uneasy peace is fragile and may not hold until Tuesday, with the certainly that an Argentine exit will bring further finger pointing and a renewed blame-game.

— The Sun

FIFA TO INVESTIGATE CELEBRATION
FIFA’s disciplinary committee has opened proceedings against Swiss players Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri for goal celebrations during their 2-1 win over Serbia in Kaliningrad.

FIFA also said Saturday it has opened disciplinary proceedings against the Serbian Football Association for crowd disturbance and the display of political and offensive messages by Serbian fans. FIFA also is reviewing statements that Serbia coach Mladen Krstajic made after the match.

Xhaka and Shaqiri celebrated their goals by making a nationalist symbol of their ethnic Albanian heritage.

Both players put their open hands together with their thumbs locked and fingers outstretched to make what looks like the double-headed eagle displayed on Albania’s flag. The thumbs represent the heads of the two eagles, while the fingers look like the feathers.

Shaqiri was born in Kosovo, the former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008.

Serbia doesn’t recognize Kosovo’s independence and relations between the two countries remain tense. Xhaka’s parents are originally from Kosovo and they are of Albanian heritage. His brother plays for Albania’s national team.

Years of war in Balkans sent many families to western European countries, including Switzerland. The Swiss have dozens of ethnic Albanians in their national soccer program.

The Polish Football Association was fined 10,000 Swiss francs ($10,100) and given a warning by FIFA’s disciplinary committee on Saturday for a banner that the governing body deemed political and offensive. The banner was displayed during Senegal’s 2-1 win over Poland on Tuesday in Moscow.

The disciplinary committee also opened disciplinary proceedings against the federations of Argentina and Croatia for crowd disturbances during Croatia’s 3-0 win Thursday in Nizhny Novgorod.

— AP

LIFE-SIZED CHOCOLATE MESSI
When Moscow confectioners found out Lionel Messi would be celebrating his birthday during the World Cup, they decided he needed a gift that measured up - a life-size chocolate sculpture in his likeness.

A team of five workers at Moscow’s Altufyevo Confectionery worked for nearly a week to carve the sculpture in 60 kg (132 lbs) of chocolate to mark the Argentina forward’s 31st birthday on Sunday.

“We found out by chance that it was Messi’s birthday on June 24,” said chief confectioner Daria Malkina.

“And we thought, ‘why not make Leo a gift, a chocolate sculpture of himself’?” Malkina said she had been in touch with Messi’s representatives about handing him the sculpture, which will be mounted on a birthday cake. “We will give Lionel Messi to Lionel Messi,” Malkina said, laughing. The sculpture will also be put on display in Bronnitsy, a town located about 50 kilometres from Moscow that is Argentina’s base during the month-long tournament.

Messi might need cheering up, having been criticised for his tepid performances at his fourth World Cup and with Argentina facing the shocking prospect of exiting the tournament early unless remaining Group D results go their way.