Football great Diego Maradona has been appointed as coach of second division side Al-Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.
The former Argentina star, now 56, has been out of management since being sacked by Dubai’s Al-Wasl in 2012 but has now found a new role in the UAE second tier.
A statement on the club’s Twitter feed on Sunday read: “Officially: Maradona as coach of Fujairah”
Maradona himself wrote on his official Facebook page: “I want to tell you that I’m the new coach of Al-Fujairah SC, in the second division of the United Arab Emirates.”
Attaching a picture of himself posing with an Al-Fujairah shirt with his name and his famous number 10 on the back, he added: “Here are my new colours!”
Maradona won the 1986 World Cup with his country and reached the final four years later, and twice won Italy’s Serie A with Napoli.
His career also took in Barcelona, Sevilla and his beloved Boca Juniors and he is typically mentioned alongside ex-Brazil striker Pele in discussions about the best player of all time.
However, Maradona has also been a controversial figure. He served a 15-month ban for cocaine use and was sent home from the 1994 World Cup after failing another drug test, while his “Hand of God” goal against England still provokes strong opinions today. -- AP