Uruguay football chief seeks to retain coach

Montevideo (Uruguay), June 24 (IANS) Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) president Wilmar Valdez said he favoured extending the national team's coach Oscar Tabarez's contract post the FIFA World Cup.

"I am speaking on my own behalf. If it were up to me, the process should continue as it has until now," Valdez said Monday, reports Xinhua.

To qualify for the World Cup's Round of 16, Uruguay have to defeat Italy Tuesday at Natal's Das Dunas Stadium while Italy only need a draw to advance. While Uruguay lost 1-3 to Costa Rica in the opener, they managed to bounce back to beat England 2-1 with a brace from striker Luis Suarez.

Valdez said when AUF personnel arrived in Brazil "one of the first things we did was to meet with Tabarez" to give him an assurance "that nothing was going to change".

Valdez was named interim head of AUF in April till July 31, following the World Cup final July 13. Under the supervision of Tabarez, who has been with the team since 2006, Uruguay won the 2011 Americas Cup and finished fourth at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.