Diego Maradona sacked as Al Wasl coach

Diego Maradona has been sacked from his role as coach of the United Arab Emirates side Al Wasl after the team failed to win any titles during the Argentine football legend’s time at the helm, Reuters reported.

Maradona, who steered Argentina to the 1986 World Cup trophy and then to the 1990 final, was hired to coach the Dubai-based team in May 2011 after losing his job the previous year as Argentina national coach.

"Following a meeting held by the board of directors of Al Wasl football company held to evaluate the technical staff of Al Wasl under the leadership of coach Diego Maradona, it was decided to terminate the services of coach Diego Maradona and his technical staff," according to a statement from the club, cited by the BBC.

The 51-year-old had another year left on his contract, Agence France-Presse reported.

A replacement was not announced.

The Associated Press reported Maradona was popular with fans when he arrived at the club last year, but the team finished a disappointing eighth in the 12-team United Arab Emirates league and did not win any domestic titles. 

But Maradona refused to take responsibility for his team’s poor performance, saying he was doing the best he could with the players he had been given.

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