'SA should have had 2006 Cup'
2005-03-30 13:30
Caracas - Argentinean World Cup winner Diego Maradona has lashed out at the head of the German 2006 World Cup organising committee, Franz Beckenbauer.
Speaking late on Tuesday during a visit to Venezuela, Maradona said: "Beckenbauer started meddling in the affair (2006 Worl Cup bidding process) and as a result, South Africa lost the right to host the 2006 World Cup.
"I do not want to be one of them, like Beckenbauer and also not like Pele, who always pulls things down," the 44-year-old said. "I am simply Diego."
The 1986 World Cup winner said that he has no aspirations of becoming a soccer official. "I will never sit at a desk. I want to coach young players or professionals."
Maradona is to open the South American Under-17 world championships that get under way in Venezuela on April 1.
He has recently undergone stomach surgery to help him to reduce his weight. The operation reduces the stomach's capacity for holding food and bypasses part of the small intestine, forcing the patient to eat less.
One of his doctors has said that he has already lost 11kg as a result. Since ending his career in 1997, Maradona has constantly been battling against drug and weight problems. - Sapa-dpa
- SAPA