Diego Maradona at it again

by archwooohh Sat Oct 01, 2011 5:15 pm

The Manchester United manager had come out in support of Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini after the incident in the Champions League in midweek, when the striker appeared to refuse to play when asked to by the coach.

But Tevez's compatriot, the former footballing icon who coached Argentina to the quarter-finals in last year’s World Cup but now manages UAE side Al Wasl, has slammed the Scot’s response to the controversy.

Maradona told reporters: “Ferguson should not be talking about it because he became a big coach only after he got big players, so he shouldn’t really be talking about this incident.

"Ferguson was defending Mancini and I know Mancini well, and I know Carlos Tevez too, and if Ferguson doesn’t really know about the issue, he shouldn’t be talking, so it’s a big joke really.

"It’s difficult to judge what happened over there from here, but this is an old story. This is not the first time this has happened.

"We’ve heard about Carlos Tevez not wanting to stay and play his football at Manchester City and that’s what happened in the match. Things got out of hand.”

Although worshipped in his own country for his footballing skills, Maradona is best remembered in England for his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in the 1986 World Cup.

Since the incident on Wednesday night against Bayern Munich, Tevez denied he had refused to play for the Citizens, and later on refused to apologise to City manager Mancini as he does not believe he is in the wrong.

On Thursday night it was confirmed by the Manchester club that he had been fined two weeks' wages and suspended pending an investigation.

The striker had made clear his desire to leave City in the summer transfer window but – despite a brief flirtation with Brazilian side Corinthians – no side showed any concrete interest.

He skippered City to their first trophy in over thirty years last season when they beat Stoke City in the FA Cup final, but he was stripped of the captaincy following his vocal attempts to leave the Premier League team.