BILLERBECK, Germany (Reuters) -- Serbia & Montenegro manager Ilija Petkovic said on Saturday he would step down after the World Cup, following his side's 6-0 drubbing by Argentina which knocked them out in the first round.

"I will resign when we come home but I will not step down while the tournament is still in progress," he told reporters at the team's Billerbeck base, less than 24 hours after watching his team being thrashed by Argentina.

"We did well to qualify for the World Cup and I am not going to apologize to anyone for what happened against Argentina. Football is like that sometimes," he said.

Petkovic, who has been in the job for two years, blamed the media for putting "too much pressure on the team" before the tournament but admitted the players had let themselves down against the Argentines.

"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," he said.

Serbia play also eliminated Ivory Coast in their final Group C match in Munich on Wednesday.

"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 world soccer's governing body FIFA, the team is to continue as just Serbia after next month. 'Wonderful thing' 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."

When asked why no players had turned up for Saturday's news conference at which he announced his resignation, he said, "Because democracy is a wonderful thing. Everyone has the right to be here or not, I am not ashamed to be here."

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 soccer 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 about their chances.

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.