Diego Maradona to get Argentina coaching job

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Diego Maradona will become Argentina's soccer coach next week, leaving the team in the hands of a national icon whose achievements on the field have been undercut by a long history of erratic behavior and drug abuse.

The Argentine Football Association said on its Web site the appointment will be made Tuesday. He will be assisted by Carlos Bilardo, the former Argentina coach who will be the manager.

"We're holding meetings trying to lay out the coaching team. I'm anxious for it to become official," Maradona said Wednesday while leaving his house on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

Maradona is to replace Alfio Basile, who resigned following poor performances in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. Argentina was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the last World Cup.

Maradona led Argentina to a World Cup title in 1986 and to the championship game in 1990, and many in the soccer-mad nation fear the sport's golden days are gone. He will try to recapture the glory with a new generation of young stars that includes Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Javier Mascherano.

"We have what it takes to make sure Argentina smiles while watching the national team play," Maradona said.

Messi, who led Argentina to a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, welcomed Maradona's hiring even though he was recently criticized by the soccer great as being a selfish player.

"Those are things that you say at the time. I know Diego appreciates me and I don't hold any grudges," Messi told Gazzetta dello Sport on Wednesday. "There's no problem. He's a great and I admire him for what he gave to Argentine football."

Maradona's coaching experience does not point to success. He led Deportivo Mandiyu in 1994 and Racing Club in 1995, and in both cases left before his contract was up.

There is also concern that the media buzz and his unpredictable personality would pose a distraction for his players and possibly generate jealousy.

Maradona's drug-plagued fall from grace -- which began with a positive test for cocaine in 1991 -- along with his battle with obesity and volatile if charismatic personality left many Argentines wondering if he is the right man for the job.

"There is a before and after Maradona in Argentine soccer, which is full of success, results and good competition," Julio Grondona, the head of the Argentine federation, told the radio station La Red.

In an unofficial online poll by the daily newspaper Clarin, nearly 74 percent of the 50,000 voters said they disagreed with the decision to hire Maradona. Another poll by the daily La Nacion found less than 10 percent of the 5,000 voters said this was a good decision.

La Nacion sports columnist Daniel Arcucci questioned whether "Diego was risking the Maradona myth" by taking the position.

Carlos Rodriguez Duval, a columnist for the soccer daily Ole, questioned whether Maradona's record as a player would carry over.

"Translating genius is not an exact science," he wrote. "There's no assurance that a brilliant football mind will be a brilliant coach. It's not the same."