FIFA
investigates Maradona tirade
Argentina coach Diego
Maradona is to be investigated by Fifa
following his furious outburst after the
World Cup victory in Uruguay on
Wednesday.

Maradona delivered an expletive-laden
tirade, broadcast on live TV, that was
directed at reporters and critics after his
side qualified for the 2010 finals.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter said there
was "no alternative" but to ask Fifa's
disciplinary committee to open a case.
Maradona, 48, could be banned for a
minimum of five matches and fined.
However, the head of the Argentine
Football Federation, Julio Grondona,
claimed: "If it were another coach or
player, the matter would not have had such
importance.
"Everybody knows he's a temperamental
person and he's already said he won't speak
like that again."
But Maradona has refused to apologise to
the press for his actions in interviews on
Argentine radio and television.
"I don't have to apologise," he told
Radio Continental on Thursday. "All I was
doing was reacting to all those people who
have spoken out against me. That's as far as
it goes.
"I'm not going to perform a U-turn.
Everyone knows what has been said. It seems
to me that a lot of journalists wanted the
national team not to qualify for the World
Cup finals.
"For me, that's anti-Argentine and is
something I can't forgive."
On Friday he told TyC Sports television:
"I apologise to women, to my mother, to
Argentinian women, to Uruguayan women and to
women throughout the world. But only to
them, not the others."
Fifa is understood to be investigating
whether Maradona's comments breach Article
58 of the organisation's disciplinary code.
The relevant passage reads: "Anyone who
offends the dignity of a person or group of
persons through contemptuous, discriminatory
or denigratory words or actions concerning
race, colour, language, religion or origin
shall be suspended for at least five
matches.
"Furthermore, a stadium ban and a fine of
at least 20,000 Swiss Francs shall be
imposed."
Maradona is a football icon in Argentina
following his success as a player but his
time as the national team's coach has been
hugely controversial, with Argentina having
struggled to reach the 2010 finals in South
Africa.
As a player he produced a series of
stellar displays to guide them to victory in
the 1986 World Cup and then helped them
reach the final, which they lost to Germany,
four years later.
But his time as coach has included a 6-1
defeat in Bolivia and a 3-1 home loss to
Brazil and the fans had feared they might
not make it to South Africa.
Going into the final two qualifying
matches a poll showed that the majority of
Argentina fans thought Maradona was unfit to
coach the national team, but in the end
Argentina won both games to book their
ticket to South Africa.
They were both were scrappy victories
requiring late goals, although a draw in
their final game against Uruguay would have
been enough to earn a spot at the finals.
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Arsenal rule out
Campell signing
Arsenal have
confirmed that former defender Sol
Campbell is training with the club, but
say there is no chance of him re-signing
for the Gunners.

The controversial 35-year-old, who
left League Two Notts County last month
after only one game, is without a club.
"We are only helping him to get fit
again. Is it going any further with us?
No," said Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
Campbell, who left Portsmouth in the
summer, is not allowed to play for a
third club until January.
Wenger, who signed Campbell from
arch-rivals Tottenham in 2001, added:
"It's very difficult when you play in a
team sport to stay completely fit on
your own. "So he asked me if he could
come back here and have some fitness
sessions, and we are helping him out."
Campbell is understood to be
interesting Championship outfit West
Brom, but under existing Fifa laws he
would not be able to join them until
2010.
The centre-half won two Premier
League titles and three FA Cup winners'
medals during his time at Arsenal and
also won 73 England caps in a stellar
career.
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