Maradona undergoes surgery after dog bite

ARGENTINA'S World Cup coach and soccer great Diego Maradona was bitten on his face by one of his pet dogs and plastic surgeons have repaired his upper lip.

Maradona was checked into Los Arcos clinic during the early hours and was released after treatment. "He was evaluated by plastic surgeons and taken to an operating room where they did reconstructive surgery on his upper lip," the clinic said in a statement.

Witnesses said Maradona was bleeding close to his mouth when he arrived at the clinic with his girlfriend. "He's doing well. He's in good spirits. They'll let him out today," national team spokesman Fernando Molina said outside the clinic. Maradona was playing with his Shar Pei when it bit him at his Buenos Aires home.

Maradona, 48, a gifted player who led Argentina's team to its second World Cup victory in 1986, is worshipped in the South American nation despite years of scandal involving drug addiction, overeating and alcoholism.