Diego snubs Grondona and flies to Europe

By Sebastián García (seba@theenganche.com)

It seems Julio Humberto Grondona, the perennial President of the Argentine Football Association, is tasting a bit of his own medicine. In a decision that defied logic, he appointed Diego Maradona as the national team manager and left him call the shots without a solid coaching staff to provide him with the support a beginner needs.

He said ‘no’ to Maradona’s request of having Oscar Ruggeri as his assistant manager, but that was probably the last time he showed who is in control or in charge of the important decision in Argentine football.

The aftermath of the consecutive losses to Brazil and Paraguay in the latest rounds of World Cup Qualifying matches is proving too complicated and nobody seems to know what is going to happen next.

Carlos Salvador Bilardo, the World Cup-winning manager in 1986, was always in the mix. He became National Team Co-ordinator (or some kind of fancy job title), but he has been cut out by Maradona when it comes to the decision-making process and participation in the tactical and technical preparation of the national team.

Grondona gave Diego his vote of confidence, but reportedly call for more presence from Bilardo.

Bilardo said on Friday that they would only accept a helping hand from the outside if it was coming from Jesus and the Virgin Mary. He added that they were having a meeting on Monday together with Maradona and Grondona.

Instead, Maradona took a late flight on Sunday night from Buenos Aires to Madrid. His reasons? To have an arthroscopy in one of his knees and to start a treatment in order to lose some weight. Oh…and also to speak to some of his European-based players to tell them they are not going to continue in the national team set-up.

He plans on speaking one-on-one with Fernando Gago, Gabriel Heinze, Maxi Rodriguez, Javier Zanetti, Lisandro Lopez and Diego Milito, all players that are going to be axed.

Some of them for not performing according to Diego’s expectations –I wonder if the team as a whole is performing so the players can show their real qualities- and some (like Lisandro López, who played no minutes in the World Cup Qualifiers and scored after only 30 seconds of being introduced against Russia in a recent friendly match) are probably getting cut for reactions off the pitch.

Diego plans on talking to Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano too. In those cases it would be to ask them why they don’t perform with Argentina with the same level they show with Barcelona and Liverpool respectively.

Sergio Agüero and Carlos Tevez have also disappointed Maradona with their recent performances, but they would get another chance from the manager.

The exclusion of Heinze and Gago would open the doors for Gonzalo Higuaín (who doesn’t get along with those two since the three of them were playing in Madrid). Martín Palermo and Hernán Crespo would be the names to replace Lisandro López and Diego Milito, while former Boca Juniors forward, Rodrigo Palacio (now at Genoa with Crespo), looks also set to make a comeback.  

Regardless of what the manager says to his European-based players, we need to see that he knew this very important meeting was taking place on Monday in Buenos Aires and he gave everyone evidence that nobody can control Maradona.

Grondona, who clearly thought about the incredible amount of money coming into the AFA (in the shape of new sponsorship deals, high-profile friendly matches invitations and the amazing media frenzy that surrounds the image of Maradona), is now facing the prospect of losing millions and millions of dollars with a highly-rated national team on the verge of missing out of the next World Cup.

The heart says no, but the head says he deserves that and much worse.