Soccer-Bolivia name new coach amid federation wrangles

Aug 28 (Reuters) - The troubled Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) has named former World Cup midfielder Julio Cesar Baldivieso as coach a week before a friendly against Argentina in Houston, Texas. However, South American body CONMEBOL has said it does not recognise an election in which a new FBF board was voted into office this week after sacking its former president Carlos Chavez, who is under arrest accused of graft. On top of that, Baldivieso needs to rush through a visa application to be able to travel on Wednesday with the team for next Friday's match and may be too short of time, local media reported. "It is officially announced that Julio Cesar Baldivieso is the new head coach of the Bolivian national team," the FBF said on its website (www.fbf.com.ba) on Friday. "This announcement was made by Dr Marco Ortega," it added referring to the new FBF president, elected at an extraordinary congress on Monday after Bolivia's clubs voted to sack Chavez. Chavez, arrested in July 17 on graft charges, is in prison pending trial. He is one of five senior FBF officials under investigation for corruption. CONMEBOL said in a statement on its website (www.conmebol.com) it did not recognise the election at the FBF's extraordinary congress because it did not conform to the organisation's statutes and regulations. It added that Chavez continued to be CONMEBOL's treasurer, although Argentine FA president Luis Segura was standing in for him while he was under investigation. Baldivieso, a former midfielder in the last Bolivia team to reach the World Cup finals in 1994, was appointed after Ortega's first-choice Eduardo Villegas turned down the offer on Thursday to see out his contract with leading club Bolivar. The 43-year-old has inherited a squad named by his Spanish predecessor Miguel Angel Portugal and will face visa problems for players if he wants to make changes to the list. Bolivia lost 5-0 to Argentina the last time the teams met in a Copa America warm-up friendly in June. (Writing by Rex Gowar, editing by Ed Osmond)