Sport | Football
Maradona envious of Al Nasr's marquee signing
He slams Al Wasl bosses for a restrictive budget in transfer window
- By Ashley Hammond, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 February 9, 2012
Dubai: Al Wasl coach Diego Maradona has cast envious glances on his rival Etisalat Pro League boss Walter Zenga after the Italian recruited big-name striker Luca Toni in the January transfer window.
Despite having bought Mohammad Khalatbari and Juan Mercier to replace Edson Puch and Ricard Porta last month, Argentine legend Maradona is upset at his club's inability to land a marquee signing like ex-Fiorentina, Bayern Munich and Juventus hitman Toni, who has joined Zenga at Al Nasr.
Maradona hit out at his Al Wasl bosses during a press conference on Tuesday night, saying he would consider leaving half-way through his two-year contract this summer if they didn't increase his transfer budget.
"Unfortunately I had a list of players I wanted to sign [in the transfer window] but this was not possible due to a restrictive budget. We have to make the most of what we have," he said.
"Next season I will not accept a small budget. We need a big budget to give us a boost and to make us competitive. Without this I may be forced to submit my resignation to the chairman.
"This is not a threat, but I want for Al Wasl to be in the same situation as other teams that have reinforced recently, especially the likes of Walter Zenga at Al Nasr, who has been able to buy Luca Toni. I want similar. It's not unachievable.
"I just want to clarify I'm very happy here, but there are certain things that need addressing. We need strong and skillful players to give us added value and let us compete. But I am happy here."
When questioned about his team selections, Maradona added: "I've played to the tactics I thought appropriate and with the players that have been made available to me. Sometimes it's easier to fire or blame the coach because it's better to get rid of one person. You cannot get rid of 30 players. You cant blame all of them."
It was thought Maradona entered the conference in a bad mood because his ‘closed' training session had been made open to the public. He said: "I ordered closed training but there were people inside the stadium watching, which means someone is not doing their job. This is unacceptable and I cannot do a job under these conditions.
"I will meet with the chairman to discover who has neglected their duties and if it continues I will not be able to work under these circumstances.
"To have one training session out of five days closed to the public is not too much to ask. I will meet with the chairman and the people responsible will be replaced."
When asked about his linking with the vacant UAE national team coaching position, Maradona said: "I've had no contact with the FA or even the club management about this. I'm happy to hear of the interest in me from the FA."
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