We’ll miss Diego’s kisses, celebrations and training ground comics

Jul 04, 2010

ARGENTINA entered the 2010 World Cup with expectation at an all-time low, harsh criticism being fired at Diego Maradona, and the embarrassment of near-failure to qualify for the tournament still fresh in the memory.

By Fred Kaweesi in Cape Town

ARGENTINA entered the 2010 World Cup with expectation at an all-time low, harsh criticism being fired at Diego Maradona, and the embarrassment of near-failure to qualify for the tournament still fresh in the memory.

Yet just three weeks later, the South Americans had emerged as one of the favourites for World Cup glory.

It took a resurgent Germany side to end their dream in a classic quarter-final here at the Green Point Stadium on Saturday.

For the first time, I decided to secure a seat among the fans and what an experience it was.

I sat next to an Argentine supporter, who burst into tears when Miroslav Klose struck his second and Germany’s third. I had had this particular individual marked out as trouble, almost as soon as we had taken our seats. He was a tall, nerdy-looking guy who was drinking a lot of beer. But what really struck me was that, although he was talking Spanish, he was wearing a Millwall scarf.

Even among English fans, this is never a good sign. But for a foreigner to self-consciously identify with one of the thuggish groups of English supporters is downright sinister. He told me that he loved flying over to London on weekends to fight alongside Millwall fans, adding: “They are bad boys.”

My fear that I was sitting next to a “bad boy” from Buenos Aires ensured that I was not too voluble in my support for the Germans. Although I fronted for Germany, I was more than inconsolable after the defeat.

It meant the end of Diego and all the drama he had fed us in his three-week stay at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria and match grounds.

Maradona was the most colourful and most compelling of all 32 coaches that made the tournament.

His flamboyant pedigree dwarfed that of all, thanks not least to his touchline antics, including his comments –notably about such controversial subjects as sex for players during the tournament.

He amused many with his habit of kissing and hugging his players, shedding joyful tears one moment then fuming and waving imaginary cards the next.

There were times when Maradona brought to a football field what a kid would bring to a classroom. The sight of him diving on the pitch, goading Carlos Tevez to try to beat him from the penalty spot, conducting shooting practice sessions in which he often smashed the ball into the net at ease will forever stick. His cries for ‘Goal, Goal, Goal’, throwing his arms into the air are will deeply be missed. Long Live Diego!

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