Diego’s tough tackle on Pele

“Pele is a great politician. Some people say he has had a part in keeping me out of the FIFA family,” said Maradona. “He can do that if he wants. He cares about me as much as I don’t care about him.”

The controversial 41-year-old, who is currently undergoing drug rehabilitation in Cuba, added: “I am sorry that Pele only came second in the FIFA poll to decide the best player. But what the people decide about me I cannot give to him.”

Maradona received over 111,000 votes, almost 4,000 more than Pele in an internet poll conducted by FIFA last month. More than 1.5 million fans worldwide voted, according to the official FIFA website. Maradona, the architect of Argentina’s World Cup triumph in 1986, also criticised FIFA President Sepp Blatter for giving him the cold shoulder despite his status as one of the greatest players ever.

“If I am part of the FIFA family, then why was I only invited to come here at the end of the World Cup?” he asked. “I have ideas about improving the game which I would share with Blatter and (Michel) Platini but FIFA don’t want to listen.”

Maradona arrived in Japan on Friday after initially being denied entry because of his history of drug abuse. He watched Brazil beat Germany 2-0 in the World Cup final in Yokohama on Sunday.

“It was a stupid reason for not letting me come here. I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t do anything bad to anybody, just to Maradona,” he said.

Maradona, who was arrested for cocaine possession in 1991 and sent home in disgrace after failing a drug test at the 1994 World Cup, said his long-voiced concerns over refereeing standards had also fallen on deaf ears at FIFA.

(Reuters)