Diego Maradona has become just the latest football legend to throw his name in the hat for FIFA presidency as the world cup winner has joined the race to succeed interim president Sepp Blatter.
According to Uruguayan broadcaster Victor Hugo Morales, Maradona has now decided to stand for presidency of FIFA when world football’s governing body holds their general election sometime later this year or in early 2016.
Morales had called Diego to check in on his father’s health and was told by Maradona that the former Argentina captain and manager intended to run for presidency of FIFA.
Morales tweeted: “I called Diego Maradona to check on his father’s health. He told me that he would be a candidate for president of FIFA and that I was authorised to communicate it.
“I am a candidate: those were the words that Diego Maradona replied when I consulted him for the nomination for the presidency of FIFA.”
Like many former professional footballers, Maradona has been very outspoken when it comes to talking about Sepp Blatter’s reign as head of FIFA, with the 54-year-old Argentine launching a scathing attack on FIFA’s president in May, just weeks before many of the organisation’s top officials were arrested on corruption charges in Zurich.
“Under Sepp Blatter, FIFA has become a disgrace and a painful embarrassment to those of us who care about football deeply.
“We have a dictator for life. I call Blatter ‘the man of ice’ because he lacks the inspiration and passion that are at the very heart of football. If this is the face of international football, we are in a very bad place.”
While Maradona’s criticisms of Blatter and his reign as president are fair, is Maradona the answer to FIFA’s problems and is it Diego’s face that we want as the beacon of international football?
His footballing credentials are impeccable and stand up there with just about anyone to ever play the game, but his personal life, his much publicised financial issues, his battles with drug addiction and not to mention his political affiliation with communist Cuba and the fact he has a tattoo of Fidel Castro on his left leg, is Maradona the man FIFA should hang their hat on?
Similar to his career as a player, Maradona is a flawed genius. His battle with drug addiction denied his potential to be an even better footballer than what he already was and his erratic behaviour as a man can often get in the way of what are otherwise noble efforts.
Maradona has helped open soccer academy’s in India, has argued wealth disparity with Popes and played in charity matches around the globe. By the same token he has also likened Louis Van Gaal to the devil, has pushed, kicked and even shot at reporters, has been sent home from World Cups and has had a decorated history of disputes within organisations – from his playing days at Barcelona right up until his coaching career with Argentina.
Maradona will have to gain nominations from at least five of the 209 national associations which make up FIFA in order to run for president, and if he can manage to get backing from those federations he will most likely then run against Brazilian legend Zico and Liberia FA chairman Musa Bility. However, most of those viewed as serious contenders are waiting until FIFA’s July 20th decision on the date of the election before announcing whether to run.
Diego Maradona running for FIFA presidency isn’t unusual given the bizarreness of what has happened to FIFA over the last couple of months, but if there is one man to clean up the world’s most popular game it is not Diego Armando Maradona.
sheek
Roar Guru
Gold! The Holy Trinity of FIFA - Maradona, Gascoigne & Cantona.
sheek
Roar Guru
No, Maradona's grip on reality isn't open to debate It's confirmed, he's delusional.
sheek
Roar Guru
Came in late, but that's one of the best quotes I've heard in a long time - "who knows a circus better than a clown?"
Squirrel
Roar Rookie
Yeah I can just see him turning down the bribes. Classic.
Batou
Guest
For sure! Also Eric Cantona for Head of PR.
AR
Guest
Bondy, that sentence is deliciously ironic in so many ways.
Brick Tamland of the pants party
Guest
I'm all for it, as long as Paul Gascoigne is vice president.
James
Guest
he spent the last half of his career high and not turning up to training because he knew was awesome so didnt need to train with the team. that is a selfish player. he is absolutely one if not the greatest player ever but he could have been so much more if he hadnt been selfish and an ass by throwing away so much potential. he was so good that argentina should have won 2 world cups on the trott easily. i dont see how you can defend his footballing credentials if you look at them over his whole career not just as a brilliant player but as a football player in a team and what he could have been
James
Guest
oh ofcourse not, but most of what ali said is very quotable and its smart humour, we laugh with him whilst maradona just says stupid things. im not saying that maradona is not a character just that if you are going to compare him to someone a better comparison is mayweather and not ali.
SM
Guest
Calling someone a 'character' can have many different meanings. And I hope you're not going down the path of Ali being a saint, as some of the things he came out with were quite vile. Maradona has never set out to humiliate people publicly as far as I recall.
SM
Guest
You've got no clue. Go and try to dig up a quote from an ex-team-mate who has a bad word to say about him. You won't find one.
James
Guest
id mention maradona along with mayweather as a character not with ali. maradona just says stupid things that make you laugh at him, ali says hilarious and smart things that make you laugh with him, at someone else.
James
Guest
you really think that his footballing credentials are good? im not saying he is not one of the greatest players ever, he totally is but footballing credentials surely means how he played the game over his career. in that he fails completely. he was by all accounts an ass and selfish player especially in his later years. he tried in one world cup.
SM
Guest
This is obviously a joke and has no chance of occurring, but at least his heart is in the right place and he genuinely loves the game. i remember him criticising Platini and Pele for becoming 'suits' after they retired, so I wonder how he reconciles that with his current ambitions. Never a dull moment with Maradona, arguably the greatest 'character' in sport along with Muhammad Ali.
Bondy
Guest
I dont know nothing enlightening comes out of you any more ....
AR
Guest
The clown bus carnival rolls on. What a gift - the FIFA Presidency AND the Republican Primaries - 2 organisations with much more in common than they'd realise, running side by side. Come to think of it, Trump should jump from the GOP nom race to the FIFA election.
Kaks
Roar Guru
Put it better than i could have.
Ironmonger
Guest
No need to say anymore than that...
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Maradona's management skills have been tested in the past and he has been found, shall we say, wanting. He is indeed passionate though his grip on reality is a subject that is open to debate.
mattq
Guest
he's passionate for the game. why not? Wouldn't hurt FIFA to be less political and more passionate.