Diego Maradona claims Fifa officials ‘banned me from entering Maracanã’

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jun/18/diego-maradona-fifa-banned-maracana

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Diego Maradona has claimed he was turned away by Fifa officials when he tried to attend Argentina’s World Cup Group F win over Bosnia-Herzegovina with his son Diego Fernando.

Maradona, who has regularly used his daily broadcasts from Brazil to make allegations about Fifa’s ethics, claimed he was refused entry at the Maracanã due to the governing body’s “ill will”.

“I was not allowed to go in to the game,” he told the Argentinian channel TyC Sports. “So I had to return to the hotel to see the second half. I did everything I could but they would not let us in.

“Someone just said no, it could not happen, so I had to watch it on TV. Hopefully we will get this resolved because I want to go and see Argentina in several more games.

“It is one thing to not be able to go to a game, and another to not be allowed to go. When there is goodwill, you’re allowed in but when there is ill will, it’s better to forget it and head back to the hotel, which it’s what we did.”

Speaking at the start of the tournament on the Telesur TV show he co-anchors, Maradona called Fifa’s power over the country “ugly, and people need to know it”.

“Fifa is a multinational that is eating the ball,” he said. “Countries can’t do anything against them. If Fifa decides where soft drinks must be sold, that’s where they have to be sold.”

He also made several specific allegations against Fifa’s president, Sepp Blatter.

Fifa, however, said it had no record of the apparent Maracanã incident, telling local media: “We are not aware that he was not allowed in to the Maracanã. Perhaps he just tried the wrong door.”