Argentina's coach, Diego Maradona, talks to the media during a press conference in Glasgow, yesterday. - AP
LONDON (AP):
WHILE THE likes of David Beckham and Ronaldinho are forced to miss today's long list of football friendlies, one of the greatest ever celebrates a landmark day.
Diego Maradona is Argentina's new coach and will be on the bench for the first time to direct his team's play when it faces Scotland at Glasgow's Hampden Park.
It starts a new chapter to a career that has featured both highs and lows - from his hotly-disputed 'Hand of God' goal, a World Cup triumph in 1986 and titles with Barcelona and Napoli to two doping suspensions and drug-and-alcohol abuse that left him bloated and close to death.
In good health
Now Maradona is a lot thinner, comparatively healthier and is trying to apply his undoubted playing skills to a coaching role.
"It doesn't interest me coming in the top four," Maradona replied through a translator when reminded that Argentina had not reached a World Cup semi-final since 1990. "The only objective we have with this group of players is to finish first. That's got to be the aim and objective of Argentina," he said.
His appearance at a slimmed-down 52,000-capacity Hampden Park, which once held 127,000 for a European Cup final, has taken the spotlight away from more attractive games such as Germany-England and Brazil-Portugal.
"The whole of the world's press is going to be at Hampden," said Scotland manager George Burley, whose team regards success as simply qualifying for the World Cup, let alone winning it.
"That's brilliant. It's great for Scottish football. It's great that we can bring countries like that to Hampden because we don't get many opportunities."
While Maradona starts writing a new page, Germany-England is the latest in a long line of colourful matchups between the two teams.
England boast their triumphs at the 1966 World Cup final and a 5-1 qualifying victory in Munich seven years ago. The Germans enjoy reminding the English they beat them in the 1970 World Cup quarter-finals - thus ending their reign as champions - and had two semi-final penalty shoot-out triumphs at the 1990 World Cup and Euro '96.
But this meeting in Berlin goes ahead without Beckham, who is dropped, and Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard, who are injured. Michael Ballack, Torsten Frings and Philipp Lahm are mainstays missing from the German line-up and the absence from this game takes away much of the spice.
Ronaldinho out
Cristiano Ronaldo's return to goal-scoring form for Manchester United will boost Portugal for their visit to Brazil, whose under-fire coach Dunga has again left Ronaldinho out of his squad despite his improved performances for AC Milan.
Like Argentina, Brazil are trailing Paraguay in South American qualifying for the 2010 World Cup and the fans want Dunga to start producing performances that suggest the Brazilians are capable of taking their record of global triumphs to six.
The Portuguese are also lagging behind in their World Cup qualifying group after a 0-0 draw with modest Albania left the team with one victory from four games. Coach Carlos Queiroz needs to boost confidence with a victory in Brazil.
World Cup holders Italy go to Greece without veteran striker Alessandro Del Piero who has been left out of the team despite scoring three of Juventus' four goals in two Champions League victories over Real Madrid.
Coach Marcello Lippi, who guided Italy to their fourth World Cup triumph in 2006 and returned to the role after Roberto Donadoni flopped, is aiming to extend his unbeaten streak with the national team to 31 matches although the stretch encompasses two different stints with the team. The mark would equal a record shared by Javier Clemente of Spain and Alfio Basile of Argentina.
Among other notable games today are European champions Spain at home to Chile, France against Uruguay and Netherlands versus Sweden.
