beyondbrics

By Daniel Schweimler in Buenos Aires

Nothing that Diego Maradona does in Argentina is without drama. And there was plenty of acting leading up to his departure as boss of the national football team after 21 months in the job as the Argentine Football Association voted unanimously not to renew his contract.

During his time in the job, the stocky former Number Ten oversaw his team’s qualification for the World Cup in South Africa and their humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Germany in the quarter-finals. The only surprise for many was that he lasted as long as he did.

In the end it came down to a battle between Julio Grondona, the pragmatic, long-serving head of the AFA, and the hopes and dreams purveyed by the man any Argentine will tell you was the best footballer ever to kick a ball, Diego Maradona. Diego never stood a chance.

Diego is surrounded by sycophants, which is perhaps why on his team’s return from South Africa no-one told him about the two huge mistakes that made his departure inevitable.

The generally held view in Argentina is that the country’s football team was embarrassed by the Germans but not disgraced. They played some decent football and won some friends. So President Cristina Kirchner was keen to have her photograph taken with the manager and a few of his key players. Only the manager flew to Venezuela instead to appear on television with Hugo Chávez.

And when reporters asked him repeatedly if he had watched a recording of the Germany game to see where things went so badly wrong, Maradona gave them an emphatic ‘no.’ “I’ve not watched it and I’m not going to watch it. Ever!” he said.

So a row was concocted. Mr Grondona said Diego would have to trim his backroom team. There were too many hangers-on. When this was put to the manager on public radio, he stormed: “If they touch the kitman, I’m gone. There’s no way they’re going to touch Mancuso, or Enrique. If they touch The Cat or Dady, the massage guy, I’m gone.”

The men in grey suits called his bluff and Diego Maradona is gone.