Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Maradona out

It has today been confirmed that Diego Maradona will not be coaching Argentina any longer. While his run as national team coach was neither horrible nor marvelous, it did seem that his charisma and passion for the game would carry him through. However, his demands for his entire staff to be renewed as well were simply too much for the Argentinean FA, who will now be looking for a new coach.
Sergio Batista will take over as interim coach for a coming fixture against Ireland; having coached the U-20 national team and coached the Olympic gold team of 2008, he should be considered a good option for the post. However, Estudiantes de la Plata's succesful coach Alejandro Sabella should also be considered as a favourite for the post.
No matter what, a spell of dreams has ended for Argentina under Diego Maradona. Many fans, including myself, had hoped that he could bring his magic from the 1980s to bear on the Argentinean national team, but although the dream lived for a little while, in hindsight, it was obviously just a dream.
I am not unhappy that Mr. Maradona is leaving his post, but I am not happy either. It is probaby the best for the Argentinean national team, but no matter what, Diego Maradona remains the star above all stars.

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