Maradona: ‘I could only talk on phone with my players’
January 26, 2010
Diego Maradona returns to Argentina’s bench when they play Costa Rica on Tuesday. The Argentine legend found it hard to cope with his two-month ban. “I would not wish this on anyone.”
The friendly match against Costa Rica marks the end of Maradona’s ban. El Pelusa was banned from football for two months following controversial comments at a press conference after his team secured their place at the World Cup finals.
“It was very hard but it’s past and now I’m only thinking about the World Cup,” said Maradona. “Those two months were very painful.
“I asked FIFA if I could pay a fine with my money and not to distance me from the players but I couldn’t do absolutely anything, just speak to the players on the phone.
“I don’t wish it on anybody.”
Maradona has called up more than 90 players for 15 matches, eight of them World Cup qualifiers, since his first game in charge, a friendly against Scotland in Glasgow in November 2008.
“Of course I called up many, but I want to see them all.”
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Basile parts ways with Boca Juniors
January 23, 2010
Boca Juniors manager Alfio Basile has announced his immediate departure from the Buenos Aires outfit following a humiliating 3-1 defeat by arch rivals River Plate on Thursday.
At a press conference called on Saturday, Boca president Jorge Amor Ameal confirmed that Basile is no longer coach of the team.
Amor added that Abel Alvez and Carlos Borzi were appointed as caretakers while the board looks for a new manager, and added that “Carlos Bianchi as manager is a constant wish”.
Basile, nicknamed ‘Coco’, has an impressive palmares that includes stints at some of Argentina’s most important club sides, as well as the national team. In 2009, the now 66-year-old returned to Boca but the club failed to impress with a 14th and 11th position in the year’s respective tournaments.
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Maradona set to start media empire
January 9, 2010
Diego Maradona is preparing to launch his own television and Internet channel. The news is seen as a surprise for the world of football.
A company identified as On & Off Holdings said the launch will happen next week, though it offered few details. The channel, however, did not specify when and where the channel would be viewed.
Maradona has been widely criticized ever since he took charge of the Argentinan national football team. Argentina struggled and sealed qualification at the last minute.
However, Maradona, considered one of the best players in the history of football, is no stranger to television. In 2005 his Argentine talk show “La Noche del 10 (The Night of the No. 10)” gained great popularity.
Maradona has been charged with a hefty ban towards the end of Argentina’s World Cup qualification campaign after blurting out immoral speech and gestures at the media.
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Veron wins South American player of the year award
January 1, 2010
Estudiantes de La Plata midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron has been voted the best South American footballer of 2009 by Uruguayan newspaper El Pais. It is the second time the Argentina international received this prestigious award as he also came out on top last year after leading Estudiantes to Copa Libertadores glory.
Veron won by a big margin ahead of Chilean striker Humberto Suazo and Ecuadorian midfielder Edison Mendez.
34-year-old Veron has enjoyed a prestigious career, spending the peak of his footballing life at Lazio with whom he captured the Scudetto in 2000.
Veron did not live up to his name and accomplishments when he moved to England with Manchester United and Chelsea. Having started at the Argentinian club in 1994, Veron went back to Estudiantes in 2006.
Chile boss Marcelo Bielsa won the gong for best South American tactician after guiding Chile to World Cup qualification.
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Messi hits back at Argentina critics
December 21, 2009
Barcelona star Lionel Messi, the favourite to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award on Monday, has hit back at critics in his native Argentina who are angered over his failure to translate his club form to the international stage.
The Argentine media have suggested the striker does not show the same enthusiasm when he plays for the national team as when he hits the pitch for the Catalan side, which he joined at the age of 13 as a youth team player.
“It really gets me when they say I do not feel the Albiceleste. Nothing hurts me more than when they say I am not Argentine,” he said in an interview with daily El Pais, using the Spanish name for the Argentine national team.
“It does not bother me when they call me ‘the Catalan’ but it really bugs me that they think I am not Argentine,” the 22-year-old added.
Messi clinched an extra-time winner as Barcelona beat Estudiantes 2-1 Saturday to win the Club World Cup final, the European champions’ sixth trophy of the year.
Minutes after he hit the winner for Barcelona, fans took to the streets in the Argentine province of La Plata where Estudiantes is based to protest against the player, Argentine daily newspaper Clarin reported.
The fans left insulting graffiti against Messi on walls throughout the province and chanted “Messi is no Argentine”, it said.
Messi told El Pais that the Club World Cup win was one of his best moments of the year.
“It is much better than an individual prize because it is a collective prize that makes many people happy,” he said.
Messi was awarded the Ballon d’Or award for the European player of the year earlier this month, winning the prize by the biggest percentage of votes since it was created in 1956.
He joined Barcelona from Newell’s Old Boys which is based in Rosario, Argentina in 2000.
In September the player signed a two-year contract extension which will keep him at the club until 2016. The deal increased his buy-out clause to 250 million euros from 150 million euros.
MADRID (AFP)
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Top two lose in Argentina
December 14, 2009
Both leaders Banfield and second-placed Newell’s Old Boys crashed to defeats in Sunday’s Argentinian Primera Division action.
Banfield always faced a tough task in an away match with Boca Juniors, who despite their poor recent form managed to deliver a solid performance in this game.
It was former Villarreal player Martin Palermo to inspire Boca’s 2-0 victory, with a penalty goal in the seventh minute followed by a second goal near the hour mark.
Newell’s failed to take advantage and conquer the top spot, losing 0-2 to San Lorenzo themselves.
Both goals in this match were scored by Fabian Bordagaray, who first found the target in the 11th minute and did so again in the 67th.
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Maradona should be calm, says Bilardo
December 5, 2009
Carlos Bilardo, General Manager of the Argentinian national team, says that coach Diego Maradona has a reason to be calm ahead of next June’s World Cup group phase.
Argentina has little reason to complain, having drawn into Group B with Nigeria, Korea Republic and Greece.
“I always say it, we have to respect every rival. There are no easy opponents at the World Cup. But what we do know is that we already know the three teams we will play against,” Bilardo said.
Bilardo added that the locations at which the matches are played, favor Argentina’s accomodation plans. The ‘Albiceleste’ are set to stay in South Africa’s capital city Pretoria, not far from Johannesburg where the team play their first two games.
“It will be good to finish the matches and be at home to rest just a few hours later.”
Maradona himself did not assist Friday’s draw as he is banned following his insults in a post-match press conference last month.
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Spain have Brazil in their sights
November 17, 2009
Spain’s 2-1 friendly victory over Argentina on Saturday was further evidence that the European champions are going to take some stopping if they are to be denied their first ever World Cup triumph.
Vicente del Bosque’s men will have the bruises to show that ‘friendly’ was perhaps not the best word to describe an exciting and competitive match that was lucky to finish with 22 men still on the pitch.
“You are likely to see games like this in the World Cup finals,” Argentina coach Diego Maradona, before receiving his two-month ban from FIFA, said after the game. “Argentina didn’t come to kick their opponents. Argentina played to the limits.”
Argentina may have struggled in qualifying for South Africa but they have lost none of their abrasive edge (committing 23 fouls to Spain’s 7) and gave Spain, who won all 10 of their qualifiers, a run for their money.
But Del Bosque’s side are not easily thrown off their stride. They played the better football and crafted a wonderful opening goal with a slick passing move that Xabi Alonso netted, after David Silva’s shot was parried.
Lionel Messi equalised from the penalty spot before Xabi Alonso sealed the victory with a late penalty for the hosts.
“It was a friendly but we knew it would be tough,” Spain captain Iker Casillas, who won his 100th cap, said. “It’s important to beat the major sides, more so if they are a former world champion.
“Now all we need to do is beat Brazil, because we have already beaten England, Germany, Italy and France. After this result the rest of the world will have more respect for us.”
Spain have recovered well from their shock 2-0 defeat to the United States in the Confederations Cup in June – a result that denied them a shot at Brazil in the final – but it served as a useful reminder that they cannot afford to rest on their laurels.
Before the Argentina game, Del Bosque admitted his greatest concern was preventing any over-confidence, but he appears to have successfully nurtured the competitiveness in the side to keep it fresh.
Since Euro 2008, outstanding new talents have debuted in an already impressive squad, including Barcelona’s Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets, Valencia’s Juan Mata and Pablo Hernandez, and Sevilla’s Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo.
A World Cup showdown between Brazil and Spain next year would be a fascinating encounter, and it is difficult to bet against one of them being the likely winner.
PHOTO: Spain’s Joan Capdevilla (L) battles for the ball against Argentina’s Fabrizio Coloccini during their friendly soccer match at the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid, November 14, 2009. REUTERS/Nacho Doce
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Should FIFA throw the book at Maradona for outburst?
November 13, 2009
Argentina coach Diego Maradona will appear in person before a disciplinary hearing at FIFA headquarters on Sunday to explain his foul-mouthed outbursts (plural) following the win over Uruguay in Montevideo last month.
The result, at the very end of an 18-match campaign, finally clinched Argentina’s place at the 2010 World Cup after they had looked in serious danger of missing out for the first time since 1970. Maradona “celebrated” with an expletive-laden tirade at the hapless touchline reporter who went to interview him.
If he had left it at that, he could perhaps have passed it off as a heat of the moment incident. Instead, he spewed out more obscenities — which he says were aimed at the media — at the post-match press conference, broadcast live on a number of networks in several countries.
FIFA quickly caught on and opened disciplinary proceedings for his unruly behaviour. These could result in a stadium ban which, if applied only to competitive games, would effectively rule him out of part or possibly all of Argentina’s World Cup campaign.
Maradona would basically be restricted to organising training sessions (which so far under his leadership have resembled playground kickabouts) and giving motivational speeches at the team hotel to his players.
Maradona said he was angry at non-stop criticism of his coaching and team selections, reports that he has fallen out with his coaching staff and suggestions that he is not up to the job.
The criticism came after he used more than 70 players and lost World Cup qualifiers to Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil and Ecuador.
The Clarin newspaper also pointed out that when he was on the sidelines, Maradona was perfectly happy to publicly slag off his predecessors Marcelo Bielsa, Jose Pekerman and Alfio Basile.
Some media say they are tired of Maradona giving exclusive interviews to a few hand-picked chums and ignoring the rest, with the added insult that, when he does give a press conference, it is invariably cancelled or delayed.
What should FIFA do? And, if he is banned, should Argentina look for someone else who could actually coach the team from the dugout?
PHOTO: Argentina coach Diego Maradona celebrates after his team won its 2010 World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay in Montevideo October 14, 2009. REUTERS/Andres Stapff
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Newell’s beat River Plate to defend lead
November 8, 2009
Newell’s Old Boys successfully defended their Argentinian league lead with a 2-1 win over troubled River Plate on Saturday.
Joaquin Boghossian put Newell’s ahead after 4 minutes, but had his goal cancelled out by Diego Buonanotte in the 63rd.
However, Boghossian had the final say as he netted again in the 79th minute. This time, his goal was enough for three points.
Newell’s shared the lead with Banfield ahead of this game, but now leave the pressure on Banfield to beat San Lorenzo on Sunday.
River Plate meanwhile, are in 17th place with just ten points from 13 games.
Jonathan Roorda
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