BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Diego Maradona wants to return as Argentina's national team coach, but polls released Saturday suggest nine in 10 Argentines don't want him back.
Maradona said Friday he wanted to return as coach and would consider getting rid of his much-criticized assistants to get the job back. He was almost pleading in a television interview saying "I’d give my life" to have the job again.
In a poll by the newspaper Clarin, 91.1 percent of about 10,000 who responded said they did not want him back. In a similar poll by the newspaper La Nacion, 93 percent of 6,185 who replied were against Maradona’s return.
Argentina’s famous No. 10 was dismissed as coach after his team was humiliated by Germany in a 4-0 loss in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. The Argentine Football Association said he could keep his job, but only if he got rid of his assistant coaches. Maradona refused, which led the AFA not to renew his contract and hire Sergio Batista as the interim coach.
The poll results, along with the inconsistent performances of Argentina during Maradona’s 20 months in the job, seem to make it unlikely he will return.
Argentina is expected to name a full-time coach in the next few months and Julio Grondona, the president of the Argentine Football Association, said a month ago that it would take "very large problems" for Batista not to be given the full-time job.
Batista has led Argentina to wins in two friendly matches, defeating Ireland 1-0 and then adding an impressive 4-1 victory over World Cup champion Spain earlier this month.
Argentina plays a friendly on Oct. 8 against Japan in Saitama, Japan, before two friendlies against Brazil in Doha, Qatar on Nov. 17, and in Buenos Aires on Dec. 19.
