After being also expelled from the Argentine concentration – Julio Grondona made this decision after speaking with the President of the Nation Carlos Menem – Maradona gave a press interview through tears, very hurt by the situation. These are some of his phrases: “I prepared like never before for this World Cup. They talk about ephedrine, but after the game I ran ten kilometers, I have witnesses. This hurts me a lot, because they cut off my legs, they hit me on the head in a moment where one has the possibility of resurgence “.
“The day I took drugs, I went and told the judge: what do you have to pay? But now I don’t understand it, because they have no arguments. I thought that justice would be good, but they were wrong with me. I don’t know why what the substance appeared. Perhaps it was due to our carelessness, but it is not like what they are saying. I swear by my daughters that I did not take drugs to play, because if I train as I trained I do not need anything to play. I was whole, I am whole “.
“I don’t want to dramatize, but believe me they cut off my legs. Me, my family, those who are next to me. Now they took the illusion out of us. And I think they definitely took me out of football. My arms are down, my soul shattered. I want it to be clear to all Argentines that I did not run for drugs, I ran for the shirt. “
“My teammates cried with me. The issue of the leaders is very angry, very dirty. I would like to believe in Havelange, in Blatter. But after the penalty, this, they leave me without being able to talk about them, neither good nor bad. FIFA I was disappointed, I thought that I had already paid my penalty with Italy. They knew that what I had consumed was dead, but now they hit me on the head without disgust. I believed that I had passed that grudge against Maradona. If there is a God “Within them they will have to rethink everything. Behind all this there are families, there is a town.”
The general secretary of FIFA, Joseph Blatter communicated the news personally to the president of the AFA Julio Grondona: “I am very sorry Julio, but Maradona’s analysis was positive. Tomorrow the retest will be done,” he told him. The Argentine leader later stated: “I fought harder than anyone so that I could continue playing, but common sense indicated that withdrawing it was in the best interest of the player and for the good of all.”
For his part, the president of FIFA, Joao Havelange, said that he was in charge of “taking care” of the Argentine National Team: “I was worried because they could make the decision that the entire Argentine delegation left. So I suggested to Julio Grondona That he unjoined Maradona. And so it was. The delegation stayed. They complied with the schedule and unfortunately the player was left out. I don’t know if he took it or not, but the exams said yes. “
The coach of the Argentine National Team, Alfio Basile, said: “I cannot maintain that they wanted to turn Argentina over, although I think they harmed us. Nobody explained to me about the ephedrine and all that mess. Those who believed that Maradona and Argentina They didn’t exist, they targeted us when they saw who we were. They took us out of the way because we were dangerous. The FIFA leadership pointed us at us. But I am clear that it was the last chance Brazil had to win the World Cup under Joao’s management Havelange, also the Brazilians came from failure to failure and had the help they needed. When I saw the chubby girl enter the field looking for Diego Maradona, I began to suspect. I don’t forget that a couple of days before the debut we took the squad to Harvard to carry out comprehensive analyzes. And nobody missed anything. “
According to the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, ephedrine, a very common substance, can be found in the most innocent medication to cure a flu or a runny nose, but it is classified as a stimulant and is considered by international organizations of most sports a prohibited drug; increasingly, ephedrine is at the center of contentious ethical and legal battles. The problem with ephedrine stems from its dual use: taken as a drug, it is an effective antihistamine and can alleviate some flu intomas, but in large doses or in its pure synthetic form, it can act as a powerful stimulant that provides an illegal competitive advantage.
In Argentina, the news was lived as a true duel. The whole country cried with its maximum idol and the continuity of the World Cup no longer mattered. Many compared that popular pain with the one experienced on the day of the death of some great leaders of the town. Even thousands of kilometers from Maradona’s homeland, in Bangladesh, a fan committed suicide due to the defeat of the Albiceleste team. A whole country dreamed of its hero saying goodbye in the way he deserved.
Source From: Ambito
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
