Diego Maradona broke his silence Wednesday, a day after he was sacked as the national coach of Argentina, and said he was betrayed and lied to.

In a scathing attack, he said that the chief of the Argentine football association (AFA), Julio Grondona, and co-coach Carlos Bilardo lied to him and cheated him. He made a brief statement to journalists in capital Buenos Aires.

The AFA announced late Tuesday that Maradona's contract as national coach would not be renewed.

AFA spokesman Cherquis Bialo announced the coach's departure after talks on Monday between Maradona and Grondona failed to produce an extension for a contract that expires on Saturday.

The AFA could not accept the conditions that Maradona had set before he would sign a contract extension to remain at the helm of the national team through the 2014 World Cup in neighbouring Brazil, Bialo said.

A legendary striker who led Argentina to a world championship in 1986, the 49-year-old Maradona coached a team that struggled to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

Once in South Africa, though, Argentina raised expectations by running overshod in the group stage with three straight wins. They followed with a 3-1 victory over Mexico in the Round of 16 before being knocked out in Cape Town with a 4-0 humiliation against Germany.

Maradona, who read from a prepared sheet Wednesday, said that Grondona lied to him at the World Cup. After the defeat against Germany, Grondona told him in the changing room in South Africa in front of witnesses, that he would remain coach, Maradona said.

But things changed after the team returned home, Maradona claimed, and he was told that seven of his assistant coaches would have to be replaced.

Maradona also lashed out at Bilardo, saying that "while we were mourning (our elimination at the World Cup), he worked in the shadows to make sure that I was kicked out."

http://goalzz.com/main.aspx?showarticle=74579&obj=0

Maradona is definitely not a mentally stable man - He might have been a good player but unfortunately 98.9 % good players with wonderfull playing careers have failed woefully when transition as a Manager occurs.

aww big teddy bear got sacked

blacksta:

Maradona is definitely not a mentally stable man -He might have been a good player but unfortunately 98.9 % good players with wonderfull playing careers have failed woefully when transition as a Manager occurs.

else i wud av said guardiola!!!

Sacking Maradona had long been over due, i understand that this job was giving to him just to keep him mute from criticising the FA's and to keep his troubles at arm length. this was a coach who had no respect for the AFA, Ex-footballers and even FIFA. Diego had little or no tactics of a coach, he attached personal grudge to the game of soccer, maradona is not a good idol to the younger generations going by his drug related issues, hand of god and his personal disrespect for FIFA. Moreso, his back office staff are the real coaches no wonder he initially said if he was going to take the job the back office staff must stay with him.

This is a lesson for other FA's world over, the job of a coach should be giving to the one who can deliver not to satisfy a certain group of people.

Kudos to the AFA for not alllowing maradona (drug inspired kolo man) to kill the game of football in Argentina.

Maradona looked quite pathetic at the press briefing.

Well I knew he will be fire. I think Maradona need more work on his caching ability be a good footballer does not guarantee be a good coach so I think he need to go for more coaching training before venturing to handle a national team and a team like Argentina.

who made this man coach in the 1st place?he is not mentally fit to occuppy such position.Hope their F A learn from this

How i wish he win the world cup and see him naked

He should have been sacked the moment he announced the WC list not listing Zanneti and Cambiasso

at least he did better than the lagerbacks and capello that were mentally stable

Good Riddance,

franklincn:

at least he did better than the lagerbacks and capello that were mentally stable

it wasn't that hard to get to the quarterfinal considering the competition he faced.

Hmmn. . . Side effect of various drugs he used while he was a player

PurestBoy:

He should have been sacked the moment he announced the WC list not listing Zanneti and Cambiasso

You are deluded if you think those two, especially  37 year old Zanetti, would have made a blind bit of difference. They have never been that fantastic for Argentina
He did the best he could with the players he had.

reubeno:

Sacking Maradona had long been over due, i understand that this job was giving to him just to keep him mute from criticising the FA's and to keep his troubles at arm length. this was a coach who had no respect for the AFA, Ex-footballers and even FIFA. Diego had little or no tactics of a coach, he attached personal grudge to the game of soccer, maradona is not a good idol to the younger generations going by his drug related issues, hand of god and his personal disrespect for FIFA. Moreso, his back office staff are the real coaches no wonder he initially said if he was going to take the job the back office staff must stay with him.

This is a lesson for other FA's world over, the job of a coach should be giving to the one who can deliver not to satisfy a certain group of people.

Kudos to the AFA for not alllowing maradona (drug inspired kolo man) to kill the game of football in Argentina.

You obviously don't know what you are talking about. He was appointed because Argentina were in danger of not qualifying for the world cup. He took them to fifth place in this competition their highest position since 1990 and overall has won 18 out of  a total of 24 matches in charge. That is a win ratio a win ratio of 75%.
Moreover he was commited to bold attacking and entertaining football a  far cry from the regimented catenaccio tactics favoured by too many coaches at international level.

^ Does timidity and fear win matches then?

Na you sabi. But I would rather have a coach with the passion and fire in his belly than boring workhorse mercenary.

tensor777:

^ Does timidity and fear win matches then?

Old Maradona has been disgraced

Ltrust:

But he is not a good coach!! We know that. You can't win matches with your words and statue alone. If I were him, I won't dabble into coaching. He has belittle himself already.

You are kidding yourself if you somehow imagine that this is the end of Maradona's coaching career. He has done reasonably well and given his antecedents and personality, I am sure he will bounce back from this setback.

there are ONLY two categories of coaches in the world. those who have been sacked and those who are yet 2 be sacked! all coaches get sacked. though others like jose mourinho who are over ambitious last a bit longer because they only go 2 clubs where they can be given billions 2 spend.

nooooooo i liked maradona he made football funny to watch!!!!!!!