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maradonaThe Argentine team, under the command of Maradona, was eliminated in quarterfinals. Diego Maradona is no longer the coach of Argentina. The output of the coach was confirmed on Tuesday by the Football Association in the country.

Since the abolition of the World Cup, the Argentine idol was considering leaving the command of the team.The association sought an agreement, there Maradona said he would only be in office if there was no change in the technical committee set up by him.The proposal was rejected and the contract not be renewed.

Diego Maradona was coach of Argentina since November 2008.He led the team in part of the playoffs and the World Cup itself.In South Africa, Argentina was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

What next for Diego Maradona?

Diego Maradona made no bones about it: he would only stay on as Argentina manager on the condition that every member of his World Cup backroom staff would keep their jobs.

The Argentina Football Association were not prepared to meet the icon’s demands, and so Maradona was subsequently relived of his duties, despite being offered a new four-year deal last week.

Like his life, Maradona’s two-year reign as Argentina manager was a rollercoaster ride, with enough highs and crushing lows to put him off football management for good. The Albicelestes only scraped through to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa, where they initially impressed, but were eventually knocked out by an emphatic 4-0 Germany victory in the quarter-finals.

Although the two-time world champions had failed to reach the last four, Maradona and his side returned back to Buenos Aires to a heroes’ welcome. The connection that the controversial boss had struck with his players over the course of the tournament was the main reason for this, and also why the AFA were so keen to tie him up until 2014.

But they refused to bow to Maradona’s ultimatum of holding on to his entire backroom staff – the AFA saw it as imperative to make changes behind the scenes – leaving the 49-year-old with big question marks hanging over his future.

Without football in his life, it’s feared that the man widely-recognised as the greatest footballer of all time will slip back into his old habits once more. By his own admission, Maradona has an addictive personality, and has previously suffered from problems with drugs, alcohol and obesity – leaving him perilously close to death on two occasions.

The past two years have seen the former Barcelona and Napoli star find a purpose in life again. Barring one unsavoury incident where he launched a tirade against his critics in a press conference, Maradona has been exactly what a coach should be: professional, reliable and always there for his players.

Sadly, though, the role of Argentina head coach could well have been the only job in football for Maradona. It’s difficult to envisage him landing a top job elsewhere because of his track record over the decades – club chairman will simply regard him as too much of a risk despite his unquestionable ability to attract crowds – and the man himself will believe that any other position would be a step down, anyway.

There have been other former players in the past who’ve found themselves at a loss without the sport. England’s Paul Gasocoigne is perhaps the prime example; he has battled alcoholism ever since hanging up his boots, and entered rehab for the umpteenth time only two weeks ago.

Maradona and Gascoigne have many similarities. Both were extremely talented players, who were adored by thousands of supporters on a weekly basis. They lived for football, and when their careers came to an end, they struggled to make the transition to management – or anything else because of the huge void left by the game.

Fortunately for Maradona, he has given himself a second chance, and hopefully this successful spell as Argentina manager will have put him on the straight and narrow for good – and may well have even saved him from a premature death.

Now he needs something to do with his life.

[Story Source]

This post was submitted by Rishi Kumar Maurya.