Diego Maradona will remain Argentina coach after denying speculation on Thursday that he planned to resign because of a dispute over his assistants with his boss.
“I’m still the coach. There’s been no changes, no resignations, nothing,’’ Maradona told journalists in Mar del Plata, where he was visiting the Argentina tennis team preparing for next week’s Davis Cup final against Spain.
“Things are the same as they always were,” Maradona said.
Officially appointed coach only last week, Maradona reportedly said he would quit before or after his first match in charge next week, a friendly in Scotland, as he was furious at Argentine Football Association president Julio Grondona for not allowing him to freely appoint the remaining members of his coaching staff.
Team manager Carlos Bilardo had assured reporters on Wednesday that the soccer great would remain coach, but he acknowledged there was tension between Maradona and Grondona over the coach’s appointment of Oscar Ruggeri as his assistant.
“The president of the federation is in charge and the head of the coaching staff is Maradona,” Bilardo said. “Maradona has to choose the coaching staff. These things are always discussed to try and reach an agreement.’’
Maradona made no mention of the disagreement on Thursday.
Ruggeri was Maradona’s teammate when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup but Grondona has publicly expressed his disapproval of Ruggeri as Maradona’s assistant, saying he prefers Sergio Batista and Jose Luis Brown — the coach and assistant of Argentina’s Youth side.
Batista and Brown were initially named as the assistants by Grondona, but Maradona said when he was confirmed as coach on Nov. 4 that he would pick his own staff.
Maradona said Ruggeri can teach the players the expertise he gained as a leading defender during three World Cups.
Grondona has made no attempt to hide his disdain when asked about Ruggeri, saying late on Wednesday that he didn’t want him on the staff because “I don’t like the look of him.’’
Ruggeri has publicly criticized Grondona, also a FIFA vice president.
In October last year, Ruggeri said Grondona should “leave the Argentine federation and just go home,” and recently called him an “old man” unfit to run the powerful organization.
AFA member Noray Nakis echoed Grondona’s doubts on Wednesday.
“After the statements by Ruggeri, coming to work with us here, I don’t know,” he told Buenos Aires-based Mitre radio.
Ruggeri tried to rise above the controversy on Thursday.
“I don’t have words to thank Maradona. I’m dying to be there on the inside,” Ruggeri told Buenos Aires-based radio station La Red.
He said he wouldn’t back down from the heated dispute, confident he would be able to convince Grondona he’s the right man for the job. But Ruggeri said his pending appointment would be decided after Maradona returns from Scotland.
OFFENSE SHINES: First baseman Pan Chie-kai hit a solo homer in the fifth inning as all 10 batters Taiwan used contributed at least one hit toward their team total of 14 One day after their first shutout loss at the WBSC Premier12, Taiwan yesterday bounced back with a commanding 8-2 victory over the US, keeping their hopes for a spot in tomorrow’s final alive. The win in the Super Round marked Taiwan’s first triumph over the US at a top-tier international baseball tournament since 2003. Their previous win over the US was at the 2003 Baseball World Cup, with only one win in the previous 10 matchups since 1999. Yesterday’s game was tightly contested through the first six innings, with the margin never exceeding two runs. However, the tide turned in the top of
TWO-NIL LOSS: Taiwan’s best chance to score came at the top of the fifth with the bases loaded and one out, but Venezuela’s Liarvis Breto got out of the jam Taiwan yesterday suffered a shutout 2-0 loss to Venezuela in the opening game of the WBSC Premier12 Super Round at the Tokyo Dome. Taiwan had seven hits, one more than Venezuela’s six, but catcher Carlos Perez’s two-run homer to left field in the bottom of the fourth inning delivered the only runs scored by both teams and secured victory for Venezuela. Taiwan’s best chance came at the top of the fifth inning with the bases loaded and only one out. However, Venezuela reliever Liarvis Breto struck out Chen Chen-wei before reliever Pedro Garcia finished the inning by allowing an infield flyball by Lin
Nikola Jokic on Saturday scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to spark the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102, continuing their dominance of the NBA rivalry, while Scotty Pippen Jr scored a career-best 30 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Chicago Bulls, 142-131. The Nuggets won for the 13th time in the past 14 contests against the Lakers, including ousting the Lakers in the playoffs the past two seasons. Serbian star Jokic failed to achieve his sixth consecutive triple-double, managing only eight assists, but his effort was plenty as Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and 11
As sporting celebrations go, it does not quite have the charm of Roger Milla’s hip-wiggling shimmy with a corner flag at the 1990 World Cup or the imperious swagger of Usain Bolt’s iconic lightning pose. However, a dance move inspired by US president-elect Donald Trump’s stilted on-stage boogieing has rapidly become the celebration of choice across the US sporting world. From the blood-soaked UFC to the hard-hitting NFL and the reliably decorous world of the LPGA Tour, athletes across North America have succumbed to the viral Trump dance craze in the past week. On Monday, US soccer star Christian Pulisic became the latest
RSS