The new coach of Fujairah football club is... Diego Maradona
Yes, you read that headline correctly.
Widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, Diego Maradona has just signed on to be the coach of the Fujairah Football Club for one year.
The 56-year-old Argentine’s advisor Rashid Ali Garcia tweeted about the move to the second division UAE club, saying he has signed on for 12 months. The football club also shared a photo of the legend holding up a Fujairah FC shirt:
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رسميا :
ماردونا مدربا لنادي الفجيرة ..#fujfc pic.twitter.com/MlD2kJapQ4— نادي الفجيرة الرياضي (@Fuj_FC) May 7, 2017
Maradona was coach of the Argentine national team from 2008 to 2010 and even had a stint at Dubai’s Al Wasl club for just one season from 2011 to 2012. The team saw an eighth place finish under his tutelage. Maradona continued to visit the UAE often after his Al Wasl job finished.
The Fujairah role will be his first formal position since the Al Wasl gig.
Conociendo la cancha que lo tendrá como anfitrión desde la próxima temporada pic.twitter.com/nWFsfbt23B
— Rashid (@AliRashidGarcia) May 7, 2017
The new job will see him working around 90 minutes drive from Dubai in the eastern emirate of Fujairah. There are plans to build a Dhs52 million football stadium in Fujairah too.
“I want to tell you that I’m the new technical director of Fujairah, of the second division of United Arab Emirates,” Maradona told his nearly nine million Facebook fans of the move. “These are my new colours.” The team then tweeted out, clarifying that Maradona will be coach.
We’ll keep you updated on how the new role goes, and definitely keep an eye out for Diego next time you drive up to Dibba for the weekend.
El momento de la rúbrica de Diego con Fujairah. El acuerdo es por un año pic.twitter.com/0avaduEfS2
— Rashid (@AliRashidGarcia) May 7, 2017