Argentine football legend, Diego Maradona has landed himself an ambassador’s role with FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). Maradona took to Facebook to announce his new role, hailing FIFA as “clean and transparent” under new President Gianni Infantino. The 56-year old had always been a harsh critic of FIFA’s previous president Sepp Blatter who was forced to quit his position in 2015 and is serving a six-year ban from all footballing activities over a payment made to the former UEFA president Michel Platini.
Maradona, who led Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986 and has made 91 appearances for his country scoring 34 goals, said, “Finally, I can fulfill one of the lifelong dreams, to work for a clean and transparent FIFA alongside people who really love football.” The organisation’s new president, Infantino, is keen on establishing closer links between FIFA and some of the game’s greatest players with the former Holland star Marco van Basten now operating as its chief officer for technical development.
Maradona himself though is no stranger to controversy. Starting from the infamous ‘Hand of God’ to being banned from the 1994 World Cup for failing a drug test and even evading taxes, Maradona has had his fair share of off-field moments, yet somehow they never seem to taint the legendary status that he earned on the pitch.
He may have had his share of controversies, but Maradona has always earned respect on and off-the filed. One of his former teammates Jorge Valdano was quoted some years ago, “At the time that Maradona retired from active football, left traumatized Argentina. Maradona was more than just a great footballer. It was a special compensation factor for a country that in a few years lived several military dictatorships and social frustrations of all kinds. Maradona offered to the Argentines a way out of their collective frustration, and that’s why people love him. There is a divine figure.” And the legend still exudes that aura even after retirement.
(With inputs from IANS)