MILAN: Soccer star Diego Maradona, who has announced that he will return to Naples this week after a long holdout still may face severe disciplinary action because of his controversial behavior.

The secretary general of the international federation (FIFA) said that the highest soccer body may ban the Argentina player from the 1990 World Cup.

Meanwhile the disciplinary commission of the Italian league will decide early next month on whether Napoli can cut by a half Maradona’s yearly contract of $ 1.5 million Napoli who hired Maradona in 1984 and has extended his contract through 1993 claimed the player failed to meet his professional duties by extending his vacation in Argentina without team authorization.

Secretary General Joseph Blatter said, “FIFA is ready to banish Maradona and prevent him from playing on the Argentina team and in the 1990 World Cup if the Italian federation reports any irregularity in the player’s professional behavior.

Blatter made his remarks in Milan on Monday during an inspection by FIFA officials of the Meazza Stadium which will host the opening match of the world competition on June 8.

Argentina, the defending world champion of which Maradona is the captain will play a still unnamed opponent in the World Cup opener,

Maradona the highest paid player performing in the Italian major league and one of the best known in the world, has been repeatedly postponing his return from Argentina following a messy holdout with Napoli.

The Argentina star, who missed the opening round of the Italian championship last Sunday, told a television interviewer in Buenos Aires on Monday that he will need about one month to get playing shape,

In his first interview with an Italian journalist since his mutiny, Maradona said he will fly to Rome “later this week”

He said, I just took an extra week of vacation, I can’t understand all the mess… I want to play with Napoli again, but I will not play in a regular match before one month, I need to train and recover my form.

“Certainly my relations with Napoli officials are somewhat tense right now,” Maradona said in the interview aired by the Italian state controlled television network, RAL Maradona spoke of his return in an interview with the Argentine sports weekly.

 

Article extracted from this publication >>  September 22, 1989