Diego Maradona left Fujairah by mutual consent on Friday after the ‘Wolves’ failed to secure automatic promotion to the Arabian Gulf League, according to his agent.
The Argentine’s side only needed to beat Khor Fakkan at home in order to finish second on the last day of the UAE Division One season. However, they were held to a 1-1 draw and subsequently finished third behind Bani Yas and Kalba.
The club announced Maradona’s departure on social media after the game, where it was widely reported to be a surprise sacking given that none of his representatives had been informed of the decision.
But Diego’s agent Matias Morla later tweeted that it had been a mutual agreement.
“After today’s draw and having not achieved the goal of promotion, Diego Maradona will no longer be the coach of Fujairah,” he said.
“The decision was made in mutual agreement and he leaves the team in a play-off situation. He wishes the best to the club that opened its doors [to him].
“Maradona’s numbers at Fujairah speak of a clear historical campaign for the club.
“For the first time they ended unbeaten in the 22 games he directed, winning 11 and drawing 11.
“They are the only team in the championship who didn’t lose this season and he leaves the team in with a chance in the play-off.”
Maradona joined the club last May and also led them to the quarter-finals of the UAE President’s Cup where they lost to AGL champions Al Ain.
The decision to part company with him now is surprising given that Fujairah could still win promotion to the AGL via a play-off against the bottom-placed AGL side Hatta, who they play over two legs on May 9 and May 13.
Had he won promotion, this would have been Maradona’s greatest club managerial achievement, having failed to achieve anything of note while at Argentina’s Mandiyu de Corrientes and Racing Club in the mid-nineties or the UAE’s Al Wasl in 2011/12.
As an international manager, he qualified his native Argentina for the 2010 World Cup but then bowed out to Germany in the quarter-finals.
Despite these attempts he’s yet to replicate as a manager what he achieved as a player, winning the World Cup almost single-handedly with Argentina in 1986, and going down in history as one of the world’s greatest ever footballers through spells at Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli.
By Ashley Hammond
