Sports

Argentina World Cup-winning coach Bilardo in intensive care

Argentina World Cup-winning coach Carlos Bilardo is being treated in intensive care with complications related to Hakim-Adams syndrome, according to a medical report.

The 81-year-old was admitted to the Argentine Institute of Diagnosis in Buenos Aires on July 4 due to a "deterioration in his underlying disease", the hospital said in a statement.

Hakim-Adams syndrome is a degenerative condition caused by fluid becoming trapped on the brain. It can cause memory loss, disorientation and a loss of balance, among other symptoms.

Bilardo has been hospitalized several times in the past 18 months, having twice undergone surgery to drain blood and puss from around the brain.

He was Argentina's head coach from 1983 to 1990, and was in charge when the Albiceleste won the World Cup for a second time in Mexico in 1986.

A former Argentina youth team midfielder, Bilardo also had spells as head coach of Sevilla, Boca Juniors and Colombia's national team in a coaching career that spanned more than three decades, reports Xinhua.