By David Gold
June 3 – Diego Maradona claims his lawyers will be taking legal action against Julio Grondona, the head of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and FIFA vice-president, for “slander, defamation and discrimination” as the row between the pair escalates.
Maradona had alleged that prior to a World Cup qualifier against Australia in 1993, the Argentina squad had been offered stimulants which Grondona knew about.
The former Argentina coach said: “Why weren’t there any anti-doping controls in the match with Australia if we had them in all the other games?
“They give you 10 anti-doping controls and only the match that decides whether Argentina will go to the United States or not, there is no anti-doping control.
“That’s the cheat and Grondona knew about it.”
Argentina qualified for the 1994 World Cup, but Maradona was sent home after failing a drugs test during the tournament.
Grondona (pictured below with Maradona) responded by acknowledging that there had been no drug controls for the qualifying games, and made veiled references to Maradona’s struggles with drugs over the years.
Maradona responded to those comments by saing: “This confirms how gaga [Grondona] is.
“There are certain limits and I will not tolerate anything he has been saying.
“This will now continue through the courts.”
Maradona’s lawyer Dr. Alejandro Sánchez Kalbermatten said: “We will go strong against Grondona.
“We have evidence that means as the case goes on and he could go to jail.
“We will focus on everything that he has said about Maradona.
“He has wronged him, slandered him and discriminated him; Grondona has a partnership with lots of fraudulent economic and personal interests between himself and his entourage of corrupt employees.
“We have the accounts where they have deposited the amounts used. It’s all proven.”
The pair’s feud goes back to last summer, when Maradona left his role as national team coach after the World Cup, following a difference of opinion with Grondona and the AFA over the composition of his backroom staff.
Maradona has since criticised his successor, Sergio Batista, for his decision to drop Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez from the national side, though the Argentine has been called into the squad for next month’s Copa America.
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