Maradona Punished for Dedicating His Club’s Win to Maduro

By Staff, Agencies

The Argentine football icon, who is coaching the second-division Mexican team Dorados de Sinaloa, has on several occasions expressed support for Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, saying that he would fight for him as a soldier if need be.

Diego Maradona will be fined for his public criticism of Washington's moves against Venezuela amid the ongoing crisis and his endorsement of President Nicolas Maduro.

The Mexican Football Federation said in a statement on Monday that the 1986 world champion, who has considered leaving his club Dorados and football altogether, had violated articles 7 and 11 of its ethics code.

Article 7 urges members of the federation to stay neutral on political and religious matters, while Article 11 warns them against behavior that might be detrimental to sport and fair play.

Mexican football's governing body earlier noted that it would investigate his harsh comments during a presser after a 3-2 victory over rival Tampico Madero on 31 March.

Maradona, 58, dedicated the triumph to "Nicolas Maduro and to all Venezuelans who are suffering". "The sheriffs of the world — who are those Yankees? Just because they have the biggest bombs in the world they think they are so much more advanced than us. No, they are not," he told reporters.

He went on to compare Donald Trump to "chirolita", a blonde children's ventriloquist puppet that was famous in Argentina in the 1970s and bore a resemblance to the US president both in terms of appearance and mannerisms.