Diego Maradona in line for fresh Argentina deal

Published on Thursday 15 July 2010 19:10

Argentina head coach Diego Maradona is to be offered a new four-year contract.

The Argentine Football Association have announced the plan and AFA president Julio Grondona will meet with the 49-year-old next week.

Should he accept the offer, Maradona, whose team lost 4-0 to Germany in the World Cup quarter-finals, will have the chance to lead his country again in four years' time, when the global tournament is staged in Brazil.

The AFA executive committee met to discuss Maradona's future and determined he remains the right man to command the national team. Grondona intends to meet with Maradona no later than next Wednesday to discuss the contract extension.

In his playing days, Maradona led Argentina to victory at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, but he was a controversial appointment as coach in late 2008. He had little coaching experience and had experienced personal problems

Meanwhile, Pitso Mosimane has officially been unveiled as South Africa's new coach, taking over from Carlos Alberto Parreira. The 45-year-old, who has been serving as Bafana Bafana assistant for the past four years and was also the number two at the World Cup, was the only person in the running for the job.

He has signed a four-year contract.