Maradona set for Argentina coaching debut in France friendly

Argentina football legend Diego Maradona is set to make his debut as coach of the national side against France in a friendly in Marseille on February 11, according to the local media here.

They don’t rule out however that the 1986 World Cup winner – who will be 48 on Thursday – could be on the bench for the friendly with Scotland in another friendly in November.

However, prior to making Maradona coach on Tuesday the Argentinian Football Association had chosen the Olympic winning coach Sergio Batista to handle the Scotland friendly.

Batista – a team-mate of Maradona’s in the 1986 World Cup triumph and was on the substitute’s bench in the 1990 final defeat to West Germany – had been seen as favourite at one time to replace Alfio Basile, who resigned a fortnight ago after a World Cup qualifying defeat to Chile which left them in third place after 10 matches, seven points adrift of leaders Paraguay.

Maradona has been chosen just four years after suffering a near fatal heart attack and despite having no prior top coaching experience but is regarded as being virtually a god in Argentina.