Maradonna BANNED for 2 months

[wardlelatic]

From all football !!

 

 

Fifa to decide Maradona sanction

Mardona celebrates the goal that sent Argentina to South Africa

Maradona's outburst was broadcast live on television

 

Argentina coach Diego Maradona faces a Fifa disciplinary hearing on Sunday as a result of his furious outburst after last month's victory over Uruguay.

 

The 1-0 win ensured Argentina qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

 

Maradona, under pressure in the run-up to the match, directed an expletive-laden tirade, broadcast on live TV, at reporters and critics after the game.

 

Fifa could hit him with a stadium ban, which would run into the World Cup, when they meet in Zurich on Sunday.

 

"The Fifa disciplinary committee, chaired by Marcel Mathier, will grant the head coach of Argentina a hearing, which will take place the day after the international friendly match between Spain and Argentina in Madrid," said a Fifa statement.

 

Following Maradona's outburst, Fifa president Sepp Blatter said there was "no alternative" but to ask Fifa's disciplinary committee to open a case.

 

However, the head of the Argentine Football Federation, Julio Grondona, claimed: "If it were another coach or player, the matter would not have had such importance.

 

"Everybody knows he's a temperamental person and he's already said he won't speak like that again."

 

Maradona has refused to apologise to the press for his actions in interviews on Argentine radio and television.

 

"I don't have to apologise," he told Radio Continental recently. "All I was doing was reacting to all those people who have spoken out against me. That's as far as it goes.

 

Even people who hate Maradona would have to admit he makes things interesting in his own inimitable way

 

24 Years and Counting

 

"I'm not going to perform a U-turn. Everyone knows what has been said. It seems to me that a lot of journalists wanted the national team not to qualify for the World Cup finals.

 

"For me, that's anti-Argentine and is something I can't forgive."

 

Fifa is understood to be investigating whether Maradona's comments breach Article 58 of the organisation's disciplinary code.

 

The relevant passage reads: "Anyone who offends the dignity of a person or group of persons through contemptuous, discriminatory or denigratory words or actions concerning race, colour, language, religion or origin shall be suspended for at least five matches.

 

"Furthermore, a stadium ban and a fine of at least 20,000 Swiss Francs shall be imposed."

 

Maradona is a football icon in Argentina following his success as a player, but his time as the national team's coach has been hugely controversial, with Argentina having struggled to reach the 2010 finals in South Africa.

 

As a player, he produced a series of stellar displays to guide them to victory in the 1986 World Cup and then helped them reach the final, which they lost to Germany, four years later.

 

But his time as coach has included a 6-1 defeat in Bolivia and a 3-1 home loss to Brazil.

 

Going into the final two qualifying matches, a poll showed that the majority of Argentina fans thought Maradona was unfit to coach the national team.

 

But Argentina won both games to book their ticket to South Africa.

 

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[rudemedic]

So currently, Maradonna is banned from going to a football game for 2 months, when the side he manages doesn't have another game for at least another 3 months. That doesn't exactly seem like a punishment for me. Its not like he'll change his squad much in that time. Having said that what was he being punished for- swearing at a press conference when most of the football watching world public was asleep- not a big deal. If they are going to ban him for that Fergie should remain banned for not speaking to EVERYONE in the press (like how you get banned for not performing a drugs test) until he does.