Diego Maradona could decide his future when he meets Argentine Football Association (AFA) president Julio Grondona where he will be offered a four-year contract, the AFA said.
As he walked off the pitch after Argentina’s crushing quarter-final World Cup exit, Maradona hinted that it was time for him to quit as national coach. His jubilant welcome home might have made him think twice.
In stark contrast to the frosty reception given to coaches from Brazil and England after their disappointing early exits, Maradona got a hero’s welcome, despite a 4-0 loss to Germany.
More than 20,000 fans greeted him at Buenos Aires Airport, a lawmaker proposed a statue in his honor and he was urged to stay on by Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, who took over broadcast rights to soccer games last year.
“Hang in there, Maradona,” Fernandez said last week in a speech to supporters. “No Argentine has given us so much happiness on the soccer field as Diego Maradona.”
During the World Cup, pundits hailed Argentina’s attacking style, the majestic dribbling of Lionel Messi, and the striking force of Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain.
It was Maradona who stole the limelight, however, prowling the sidelines in a shiny gray suit and inspiring hope that he could again propel Argentina to success in soccer’s most coveted trophy, this time as a coach.
Maradona has been keeping a low profile since returning from South Africa, staying at his home to reflect on the loss away from the glare of media and fans.
AFA spokesman Ernesto Cherquis Bialo, who helped to write Maradona’s autobiography, said the decision was down to Maradona.
“If Maradona wants to ... he will continue. People have unconditional support for Maradona — other coaches who made the same mistake as him [losing in the quarter-finals] have had to resign.”
Late on Wednesday, Cherquis Bialo told reporters Maradona would be formally offered to stay on until 2014 and specified there was no “Plan B” in place should the famed player and coach decide not to continue.
A close friend said Maradona has been feeling down since the World Cup defeat, despite receiving the support of players, including Gabriel Heinze, captain Javier Mascherano and Messi.
“He’s dealing with the blow in his own way,” the friend said, asking not to be named. “He’s always said he wanted to be the team’s coach for the rest of his life, but you always have to consider whether it makes sense.”
Maradona struggled with drug addiction, obesity and alcoholism for years, making his comeback at the helm of the national squad an even more remarkable personal achievement.
Whether or not he takes the reins of the team for the Copa America later this month or retires to spend time with his family, fans are likely to stay loyal.
“I wanted him to be champion again because he deserved it,” Alberto Blanco, 39, said in front of a giant Maradona inflatable in the center of Buenos Aires. “I know he’s not the best coach, but the team also needs courage, heart and mystique, and he offered that to his players.”
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite