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Sevilla issue 'hands-off' warning over Sampaoli

Xinhua, April 12, 2017 Adjust font size:

Sevilla Football Club are unhappy at reports that first team coach Jorge Sampaoli has agreed to meet with representatives of the Argentinean Football Association (AFE) to discuss replacing Edgardo Bauza, who was sacked earlier this week.

Representatives of the AFA will travel to Spain this weekend and according to the Spanish press, will speak to Sampaoli, who has a contract with Sevilla until the end of June 2018, after their game in Valencia on Sunday afternoon.

Something has not gone down well at the Spanish club, while on Wednesday Sevilla issued a statement on its official website.

"In the face of the information which has appeared in the local and international media in relation to the possible interest of the AFA to contract Jorge Sampaoli - who has a contract until June 30, 2018 with Sevilla FC - as their national team coach, and in the face of declarations to this end from Claudio Tapia, the President of this Association over their intention to hold a meeting in Spain with the Sevilla coach in the coming days, Sevilla FC has sent a communique to the AFA in which we manifest that if these stories are true, Sevilla FC consider it to be a lack of respect and that any meeting or contact with the coach (Sampaoli) takes place with the aim of provoking that the coach breaks his contract that the club, this club will not doubt in defending its rights."

Only recently Sevilla had been looking to persuade Sampaoli to extend his contract with the club as they battled against FC Barcelona and Real Madrid for the Liga Santnader title.

A recent drop in form has seen that dream disappear and the club is now fighting to try and finish third in the table and avoid a qualifying round ahead of next season's Champions League. Endit