Sergio Batista has stepped down as coach of Argentina

Failure to win the Copa America that the country hosted in the past few weeks, has led to Argentina's coach Sergio Batista from stepping down as national team coach after his team were knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals.

The Argentines had hoped to end an 18-year wait for a major title but their dismal Copa America showings in front of their own supporters and despite home advantage, they once again failed to raise their game and Batista's position soon became threatened.

The Argentina Football Association spokesman Ernesto Cherquis Bialo said: "The national team's commission has decided to rescind the contract. Batista wasn't sacked. He put his future as the head of the national team up for consideration by the executive committee."

Batista, 48, had only been in charge for a year, initially in an interim capacity after predecessor Diego Maradona was refused a new contract following Argentina's quarter-final elimination at the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

Cherquis Bialo also said Argentina's friendly against Romania in Bucharest next month had been cancelled.

"The coaching staff of Argentina teams at all levels are under evaluation by the national teams commission," he added. "There are no deadlines, there's no rush, no urgency to name a new coach so there will be a process of consideration and study."

Sergio Batista's contract was to take him to the end of the South American qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil with Batista vowing to build a team around Lionel Messi, the world's best player, to win the title.

He did not promise to deliver the Copa América but said it was Argentina's obligation as hosts to win the trophy and he was confident they would, having lost to Brazil in the previous two finals.

But Argentina struggled against tough South American opponents after Batista's stated aim to play in the mould of European champions and Messi's club, Barcelona,.

With him in command, Argentina had wins in friendlies against world champions Spain, arch-rivals Brazil and Portugal but Batista's competitive debut almost ended in a shock defeat by Bolivia who held them 1-1 in the Copa America opening match

Batista, a member of the 1986 World Cup-winning team, had previously managed the Olympic team and steered Argentina to their second successive soccer gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Argentina last won a major title in 1993, the Copa América.