Diego MaradonaArgentine football coach Diego Maradona has urged referees to honestly live up to their duty of keeping the game clean, and give high priority to fair play.
"Let there really be fair play, let the referees understand what the words 'fair play' mean, if you don't want to play clean football then go up into the stands," he said.
Recalling his 'Hand of God' goal against England in 1986, Maradona said that he had certainly not forgotten the way his unique skills made him such a target, after the FIFA's drive for fair play began in 1990.
He also seemed satisfied with his team's preparation for the gala event, the Daily Telegraph reported.
"It's great what we have. We are proud, we're happy, and I think we've had good preparation. These 23 players, these monsters, these fighters, give me great peace of mind when I see them, which I've never felt before," he said.
However, his recent appeal has drawn severe criticism in the media, as he himself had been infamous in football history for all the wrong reasons during his period, be it as a drug cheat or as the perpetrator of the most infamous 'handball' in football history, the paper added. (ANI)
