Dubai Al Wasl Club may have decided to sack their most celebrated coach ever, but the club and Dubai — where Diego Maradona worked for over a year — will always hold a special place in his heart.
“It was a fantastic experience and I hope to be back soon,” football’s biggest icon told Gulf News in an exclusive interview on Wednesday night.
A day after hearing the news, Maradona — who is currently on holiday — said he was due to return to Dubai on July 22 with his technical staff after spending some time in Argentina.
“After the last season, I had a meeting with the board members and left a wish list about the players that we could retain and those whom we did not,” he said through an interpreter over the phone.
“It was only meant to make the club more competitive for the new season.”
But the new board of Al Wasl, in a meeting on Tuesday night, decided to sack Maradona and appoint a new coach and technical team for the 2012-13 season. Bruno Metsu, who had successful stints with Al Ain and the UAE national team, is the front-runner to replace him.
Lack of ammunition
Looking back at his stint with the yellow shirts, Maradona admitted the team often did not have the ammunition to be competitive, but should still have won the GCC Champions League in June to at least round off the season on a bright note.
“It was a pity, we had almost won. Unfortunately, the coach has his limits. Losing two players was the key,” he said, referring to the incident when goalkeeper Majid Nasser and midfielder Rashid Eisa were shown red cards for needless charges on rival players.
“Let me make this clear, I was very happy during my tenure,” he said.
“For the last 15 days, I had been resting and spending time with my father, sometimes going out fishing.
“We were also remembering my early playing days in Barcelona. All the while, my thoughts were on how to make the team more competitive.”
Asked what he felt about Al Wasl gaining so much media exposure all over the world during his stay, not to speak of sponsorship revenue, Maradona added on a cautious note: “I am not the person to evaluate it, the club should.”
Life, of course, goes on. Does he have any other offers at the moment?
“No, no. When I was leaving Al Wasl for vacation, I had two important offers, but Al Wasl was my priority. I had only served the first of my two-year contract and wanted to serve the term,” he said.
“My best wishes to the people of Dubai. I hope to be back soon.”
