Milutinovic mulls future after Iraq eliminated

JOHANNESBURG (AP) - The latest stop in Bora Milutinovic's well-traveled career may have come to a close Saturday when Iraq was eliminated from the Confederations Cup.


The 64-year-old Milutinovic, who has coached five different countries at World Cup tournaments, appears undecided on his future. His contract with Iraq lasted through this tournament and it's unclear if he'll be asked to stay on.

"I'm only a football coach," Milutinovic said after a 0-0 draw with New Zealand. "My future doesn't depend on me. If someone calls me I'll check it out. If not, I'll keep living my life."

While Iraq failed to score a goal in its three matches in South Africa, the Asian champions allowed only one.

Milutinovic's players opened with a 0-0 draw against host South Africa, then had a respectable 1-0 loss to European champion Spain. A win over New Zealand could have sent Iraq through to the semifinals, but three late scoring opportunities were denied by New Zealand.

"Our boys gave it their all," Milutinovic said. "We didn't win the match but we achieved a very interesting result and we proved that the players of Iraq could become competitive with time."

Milutinovic didn't have much time with Iraq, taking over earlier this year.

"I just hope they can play freely and enjoy life," the Serb said. "This isn't the appropriate time to talk about my future. I'm really proud of my guys. In very little time they achieved an excellent result."

Milutinovic previously coached Mexico, Costa Rica, the United States, Honduras, Nigeria, China, Jamaica - as well as several club teams. He took four of those countries into the knockout round of the World Cup, failing to get out of the group stage only with China in 2002.

"I wish all my teams well," Milutinovic said, listing all his previous teams one-by-one. "I still follow them all."