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 Petkovic to quit as Serbian coach
 Petkovic is stepping down after Serbia's crushing 6-0 defeat. BILLERBECK, Germany -- Serbia & Montenegro manager Ilija Petkovic has said he will step down after the World Cup, following his side's 6-0 drubbing by Argentina. "I will resign when we come home but I will not step down while the tournament is still in progress," he said, less than 24 hours after watching his side crash. "We did well to qualify for the World Cup and I am not going to apologise to anyone for what happened against Argentina. Football is like that," he added. Petkovic, who has been in the job for two years, blamed the press for putting "too much pressure on the team" before the tournament but admitted the players had let themselves down. "This is a severe blow and we have to take it on the chin. This defeat has stained everything we have achieved but we must get back on our feet and move on. "My conscience is clear. We should have played with everyone behind the ball against Argentina and I backed down under pressure from the media that called me a coward after the Netherlands game," he added. Petkovic's contract was up for renewal after the finals. Following the secession of Montenegro, which will now apply for separate membership of FIFA, the team is to continue as just Serbia after next month. Questioned on how he responded to defeat in the dressing room, Petkovic said: "Well, I surely didn't jump with joy. It seems many of you (the media) want me to stick my face into the mud but I am not going to." Petkovic had guided the Serbians to the finals with a perfect record of 14 unbeaten matches but that was swiftly lost with their 1-0 defeat by Netherlands and six-goal lesson from Argentina on Friday. Before the tournament, he was confident the team could reach the second round from a difficult group and most of the players were also optimistic -- but things started to go wrong with a nepotism row over his son Dusan's controversial late inclusion for an injured striker. Dusan Petkovic pulled out of the squad three days before the start of the finals, blaming pressure from the media. Serbia & Montenegro will split as a country following a referendum that took place in May and this will be the last major tournament they will play as a unified team. They play Ivory Coast in their final Group C match in Munich on Wednesday. 
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