Villas-Boas wants to retire jersey number 10 for Maradona

From: Mattias Karlsson

Published: November 26, 2020 kl. 08.29
Updated: November 26, 2020 kl. 09.08

André Villas-Boas wants FIFA to retire number 10 worldwide.

The Portuguese soccer coach wants the International Soccer Association to pay tribute to Diego Maradona with great respect.

– I want to remove the number of all teams in all tournaments, says the coach of Marseille.

The world of football has been deeply affected since Diego Maradona passed away at the age of 60.

In the Champions League games played on Wednesday night, a minute of silence was observed before kick-off.

Marseille lost 2-0 to Porto at the Stade Velodrome and at the subsequent press conference, local coach André Villas-Boas was excited.

– This is very sad news. I want FIFA to remove the number 10, for all teams in all tournaments. That would be the best tribute we can pay him. It is an incredibly big loss for the world of football, says André Villas-Boas.

Photo: Daniel Cole / TT NEWS AGENCY

The arena changes its name

After the obituary, people have made a pilgrimage to, among others, the Stadio San Paolo de Napoli stadium in Naples and the La Bombanera de Boca Juniors stadium in Buenos Aires.

An empty Stadio San Paolo was kept on last night, in La Bombanera only Maradona’s personal rostrum was lit.

The Naples City Council, Laura Bismuto, has announced that Stadio San Paolo will change its name to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, an exception to the rule is issued to change the name of something only ten years after the death of the person.

The parent club Argentinos Juniors in Buenos Aires previously changed the name of the local stadium to Estadio Diego Armando Maradona.

“Picasso football”

Most of the clubs around the world and the main soccer profiles have posted their personal tributes on social media.

“Maradona is not dead, he is immortal. God gave the world the most talented player of all time. He will live forever,” writes Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

– It was the Picasso of football. With just one move, you could even make a boring match beautiful, Milan legendary coach Arrigho Sacchi tells La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The great Spanish sports magazine Marca has changed the page numbering in the paper magazine, all the pages of the day have the number 10 and then 30 pages follow with sadness and tributes.

In Argentina, the national mourning has been announced for three days and Maradona’s body has been transported to the Casa Rosada presidential palace in Buenos Aires, where the public can say goodbye to him, the queue of people is long outside.

Napoli previously retired the number 10 jersey, the Argentina team has refrained from wearing the number from time to time, but it has been used by Lionel Messi, among others, whom Maradona himself has seen as his heir.

Published: November 26, 2020 kl. 08.29

READ ON