Hand of God" Maradona to play VN exhibition match

Football legend Diego Maradona will be displaying some of his “God-given” skills in a match against past Vietnamese stars, slated for June 2 in HCM City.

The diminutive star will be joined by a number of former Argentine world champions for the exhibition game during the Southeast Asian leg of his world tour, said Luis Lestani, general manager of Elemco Overseas Corp, which promotes Maradona goods.

Maradona”s squad includes 1990 World Cup finallists Matias Almeida, Alejandro Mancuso, Patricio Campos, Sergio Zarate, Sebastian Rambert, Jose Borreli, Fernando Gamboa, Mackalisster and former Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Goicoechea.

The Argentines will play an eleven-a-side game against Vietnamese players of the so-called “golden generation”.

Local TV station VTC, Tuoi Tre newspaper and the Argentine Embassy in Viet Nam are jointly organising the match, which will be broadcast live on VTC channels.

Maradona, 47, led his country to World Cup victory in 1986. For his dazzling performance including “that goal” against England which he scored after taking the ball from deep within his half won the diminutive Argentinean that year”s Golden Ball award.

From 1977 to 1994 he scored 34 goals in 90 appearances for Argentina.

His Southeast Asian tour will begin in Kuala Lumpur on May 15, and will take in Bangkok and possibly China. He is scheduled to be in Viet Nam for three days, arriving on June 1.

Gold boy” recovering

Lestani said Maradona”s health had fully recovered, though he remains in a Buenos Aires hospital for weight reasons.

The gold boy” is getting better by the day at the Buenos Aires clinic where he is being treated for alcohol-induced hepatitis, his doctors said on Thursday.

Maradona, was admitted to the private Guemes clinic last week and has been sedated since then to help curb alcohol cravings.

Since retiring from the game in 1997, Maradona has battled cocaine addiction and obesity. His personal physician has blamed excessive drinking, eating, and smoking cigars for his latest health crisis.

“He”s improving day by day from his acute toxic hepatitis,” a medical report said.

The clinic”s medical director, Hector Pezzella, said the football star “accepts being hospitalised.”

“He”s aware that being in hospital is the best thing and I”ve noticed he intends to recover quickly,” he added.

Outside the city clinic, Maradona fans have stuck photographs and messages of support on the walls. 

 VNS/REUTERS