Maradona resigns from UAE football club after failing to secure promotion

Maradona, 57, was appointed as Al Fujairah's first-team coach in May 2017.

2018-04-29 14:19

On Friday, international football legend Diego Maradona resigned as coach of the UAE's second division club Al Fujairah after his team failed to gain promotion, his lawyer Matias Morla announced, according to ESPN.

The renowned Argentinian - a former World Cup winner and one of football's most divisive figures - said he was stepping down after a 1-1 draw against Khor Fakkan.

"After today's match, and having failed to achieve the objective of promotion, Diego Maradona will no longer be the coach of the team," Morla posted on his Twitter account.

The lawyer insisted that the decision "had been a mutual agreement" with the club and that he wished Al Fujairah "the best".

Maradona, 57, was appointed as the first-team coach in May last year with the task of getting Al Fujairah back into the Arabian Gulf League after a two-year absence.

However, Friday's result meant that the team missed out on the automatic promotion to the Arabian Gulf League and will not be able to finish any higher than third in the table.

This was his second managerial spell in the UAE, after a year in charge of Al-Wasl.

With S.S.C. Napoli, >Maradona won the Serie A title twice in addition to winning the 1986 World Cup with his country. His career also included stops at Argentinos Juniors, Barcelona, Sevilla, Newell's Old Boys, and Boca Juniors.

Here are 5 facts you didn't know about the legend Diego Maradona:

1. Maradona is the only player in the history of football to have received a record transfer fee twice.

2. He is of Italian, Spanish, Croatian, and Indigenous Argentinean ancestry.

3. At the age of 8, Maradona was spotted by youth coach Francisco Cornejo and inducted to Argentinos Juniors team.

4. Maradona made his international debut for Argentina against Hungary on February 27, 1977, when he was just 16 years old.

5. During his time at Napoli, he helped the team win the Copa Italia in 1987, the UEFA Cup in 1989, and the Italian Supercup in 1990, apart from the league championship. Many newborn children were named after him in his honor in Italy.