Sergio Batista, who was appointed as Diego Maradona's replacement as Argentina boss in July, is set to be confirmed as his permanent successor by the Argentine Football Federation (AFA).

GettyImagesSergio Batista enjoyed Olympic success in 2008

Batista, who led Argentina to the 2008 Olympic title, has the backing of the AFA's powerful president Julio Grondona and took over as interim coach when Maradona left after the 2010 World Cup.

However, Maradona is less than happy with the decision to appoint his 1986 World Cup winning team-mate.

"If Batista says that [Lionel] Messi is now happy it's because he disguised himself as 'Pinon Fijo' (a clown in a television show), because 'el Checho' (Batista's nickname) cannot make anyone happy," he said.

Messi, though, had a different point of view, claiming: "I want him to stay because we feel comfortable with him, the group is working well and I love our style of play.''

Batista's results as interim coach have included a 1-0 win in Ireland, and a 4-1 success against a depleted Spain, but also a 1-0 defeat to Japan. The side face a high-profile clash with Brazil in a few weeks time.