He may be one of the greatest players who ever graced the soccer pitch. He may have scored two of the most famous goals in FIFA World Cup history – one the most controversial and one perhaps the finest – but Diego Mardona’s skills as a soccer manager are seriously under scrutiny, as it seems increasingly likely that his Argentina side will not be making the trip to Johannesburg next year at all.
So in a fit of temper that many have seen him display before, Maradona is now threatening to quit, even if Lionel Messi and the others on his squad can pull off a qualification miracle.
Much of the blame for the team’s failure has been put on Maradona. Soccer pundits and fans alike think he lacks the ability to come up with a cohesive team strategy and that his selection choices are just too inconsistent. But Diego places the blame elsewhere.
According to Argentinean media sources Maradona and the national team’s technical director Carlos Bilardo have had a huge falling out and are barely on speaking terms. Apparently Maradona feels that Bilardo’s interference in the team’s affairs is the cause of all the failings of late, not his own lack of managerial skills.
What that interference has been no one except Maradona really knows, but he told the press that regardless of the outcome of the qualification battle he will only be staying on if his as yet unknown conditions are met by Argentine Football Association president Julio Grondona. "Things happened that I didn't like and I will speak about them later.” he said.
I, for one, cannot wait to hear what he has to say.
No comments:
Post a Comment