Buenos Aires - Diego Simeone resigned Friday as coach of Argentine football club River Plate, hours after the team's elimination from the Copa Sudamericana in the quarterfinals, at the hands of Mexican side Chivas.

"Simeone asked us for a meeting and informed us that he stopped being (River Plate's) coach as from the game on Sunday," River Plate football department top official Roberto Cuina confirmed.

The team is set to play Huracan Sunday, in the Argentine Apertura tournament in which the normally-top club is currently last - with nine points in 13 games - just months after winning the previous Clausura tournament.

Americo Gallego was regarded as the top favourite to succeed Simeone as River Plate coach.

Simeone, the third most-capped player in Argentina's history, became active as a coach in 2006. He won the local tournament with Estudiantes later that year, a feat that he again achieved with River Plate earlier this year. (dpa)