Diego Maradona is reportedly earning $13,000 plus expenses in his role as a FIFA ambassador.GETTY IMAGES
Diego Maradona’s role as a paid ambassador for FIFA has "come under scrutiny following his boorish behaviour at the World Cup" in Russia, according to Ben Rumsby of the London TELEGRAPH. FIFA is "understood to have taken note of Maradona’s latest antics" during Argentina’s victory over Nigeria on Tuesday, but the governing body "would not comment on whether they would have any impact on his official duties." Maradona, who is said to earn around $13,000 plus expenses for "any event he attends" in his capacity as a FIFA ambassador, reacted to Marcos Rojo’s game-winning goal "with a double one-finger salute." He also "appeared the worse for wear" while watching the game in an exec box at St. Petersburg Stadium, before "suffering what he said was a brief fainting episode that required medical attention." Maradona was not on the official FIFA VIP list for the match or for Argentina’s World Cup opener against Iceland, at which he "was seen smoking a cigar at the non-smoking Spartak Stadium." He was forced to apologize for that and to "explain an incident in which he was accused of pulling his eyes to the side while looking in the direction of South Korean fans." Maradona is the only one of FIFA’s group of so-called "legends" who is a general ambassador for the organization (TELEGRAPH, 6/27). The BBC reported Maradona said that he was "fine" after being seen by a doctor during Tuesday's game. The 57-year-old, who captained Argentina to World Cup victory in '86, said that his "neck hurt a lot." Maradona posted a picture on social media showing medical staff with him at halftime of the 2-1 victory, but "denied he had been taken to hospital." The post read, "I want to tell everyone that I am fine" (BBC, 6/27).
