Abu Dhabi: Argentinian legend Diego Maradona, after being unveiled by the new club at a press conference at the Emirates Palace on Tuesday, said that he is ready for his new challenge as chairman of Belarusian club Dynamo Brest but will always be keen to return to the UAE.
Maradona, who parted ways with Al Fujairah as coach, signed a three-year contract with Dynamo Brest last week.
“I live a beautiful life in the UAE and leaving for Belarus doesn’t mean I’m going forever from Dubai. Dubai is an important place in myself because I consider myself an Emirati citizen,” said Maradona, who left Fujairah after failing to lead them to direct promotion into the Arabian Gulf League.
Fujairah did seal their place in the Arabian Gulf League by beating Hatta through a play-off and there were talks about Maradona continuing with the club. However, the last ditch efforts fell apart with the club claiming the 1986 World Cup super star asked for four times his currently salary.
“I’m leaving for an assignment and I’ll be back in Dubai because I love this place so much. It’s a place I plan to live in after I retire. I want to thank many people in this country who have had a significant influence on my sporting like,” said the 57-year-old, who also had a stint with Al Wasl Club in 2012 but was terminated mid-way through his two –year contract.
Dr Taj Eddin Seif, Chairman of Belarussian Business Council on the UAE and Co-Owner of Dynamo Brest speaking on the occasion said, “We are honoured and delighted to officially announce Diego Maradona as chairman. With Diego at the helm, we don’t have any semblance of doubt of taking the club to a new level both in the domestic and international arena, and fulfil our ambitions.”
Dynamo Brest is currently eighth in the Belarus Premier League after seven matches of their 2018 season but they have last week shocked domestic champions BATE Borisov 3-2 in the Belarus Cup final. With that success they have also made it to the qualifying round of the 2018-19 UEFA Europa League.
