Alhaji Righteous De Ambitious: World Cup 2010 Blog: Maradona to Sue Head of Argentina Football

Monday, December 27, 2010

World Cup 2010 Blog: Maradona to Sue Head of Argentina Football

Link to International Football News - World Cup Blog

Maradona to Sue Head of Argentina Football

Posted: 26 Dec 2010 11:38 AM PST

Oh, Diego. It’s been weeks, maybe even a month, since your last outburst. We were starting to think you forgot about us, the football writers and bloggers who thrive on controversy and quotes. Welcome back, sir. Diego Maradona is suing Argentine Football Association president Julio Grondola for defamation of character. Because no one gets to defame Diego Maradona’s character but Diego Maradona.

The event that seems to have caused all the fuss was a quote from Grondola last week, which Maradona says implied that he was back using drugs and alcohol. The quote:

“There are reasons for what happens with Maradona, and everybody knows them.”

Diego claims to be clean for six years, and if that’s true, then two things follow from that fact. One – he is as unstable off of drugs as he ever was on (see for example Argentina squad selections), and two – he has reason to be upset. For someone with as long and sordid a relationship with chemicals as Diego has, six years sober is a major accomplishment, and I can certainly understand him being defensive about it. But I’m not sure it should go so far as a legal battle. For one thing, Grondola could be talking about more than just drugs. It’s a very vague statement, and proving that it was meant as a derogatory reference to drugs is going to be a tough sell for a judge. On the other hand, Maradona might just be able to sign an Albiceleste jersey for the judge and get some sympathy – it’s hard not to side with a national legend.

On the other side of things, Diego’s time with Argentina has certainly tarnished his legend a bit. If he would have led the team to victory in South Africa, or even to a semifinal, he would have gained a new level of godhood. But he very much didn’t. His Argentina side were comprehensively taken apart by Germany in the quarterfinals, and that was the end of a reign that no one argues to have been all that successful. Considering his job performance, maybe he’d be best to just leave this one be, and call it a draw.