Diego Maradona has emerged as one of the leading candidates for the position of coach of the Portuguese national football team after Carlos Queiroz was fired on Thursday September 9, 2010. Alejandro Mancuso, one of Argentina’s assistants during Maradona’s tenure as coach, confirmed Maradona’s interest in the position, noting that he would be delighted to coach Cristiano Ronaldo and a slew of other highly talented Portuguese players who failed to find their form for the national team. Maradona has yet to be contacted by the Portuguese Football Federation but is considered the strongest candidate amongst a trio of Latin American coaches including Argentine Jose Pekerman and former Mexico coach Jose Aguirre. Meanwhile, Real Madrid coach and Portuguese national Jose Mourinho has backed the candidacy of former Sporting Lisbon coach Paulo Bento, who is widely considered the front-runner for the position given his in depth knowledge of Portuguese football and the national team. Former coach Carlos Queiroz was fired after Portugal’s dismal start to Euro 2012 qualifying with a 4-4 home draw to Cyprus and a 1-0 loss to Norway. Queiroz’s departure was hastened by a six month ban imposed on him by Portugal's anti-doping agency for obstructing drug testers at a pre-World Cup training camp.
For more on Diego Maradona, see:
Bringing Back the Beautiful Game: Maradona: "Tell Fidel I Love Him"
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