MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th November, 2020) Honorary President of the Russian Football Union, Vyacheslav Koloskov, has expressed condolences over the passing of Argentine icon Diego Maradona.
"Maradona was not only a remarkable but a genius footballer... this is a big loss for world football. One can only regret that such a unique figure, who means so much to football, has passed away. I express my condolences to his family, his close ones and all those who idolized Maradona," Koloskov told Sputnik over the phone.
He went on to say that the three-day mourning period announced in Argentina and all sporting competitions beginning with a minute of silence for Maradona was a worthy show of respect.
Former coach of Russia's national team, Valery Gassaev, told Sputnik that the world as a whole, not just sports, lost a creative tour de force.
"To our great regret, the person who embodied football as an art form has left us. The entire world community, not only the sports community, today expresses condolences to family and friends. He was a living legend who turned football into art," Gassaev told Sputnik.
Former Zenit St. Petersburg star Konstantin Zyryanov recounted how Maradona served as an inspiration to his generation growing up.
"You know, it is very sad when such people leave. I grew up, my generation grew up watching him play. I saw him play at the 1986 and 1990 World Championships. I also remember how hard it was for him to play in 1990. But he still showed great performances, then he was the best football player at world tournaments," the UEFA Cup winner told Sputnik.
Russia's Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin also expressed regret, highlighting the Argentine's priceless input into the game.
"This is a tragedy for the world football family. Diego Maradona played an outstanding role in popularizing football, he was a national symbol, despite the difficulties he faced in his life. He did a lot to popularize the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He was always kind to the players from the USSR and Russia and was a football legend to whom millions of young boys looked up," Matytsin told reporters in Moscow.
The 1986 World Cup winner passed away a day earlier as a result of heart failure. He had undergone brain surgery in late October and appeared frail in his last public appearances.
The boisterous Argentine attained a legendary status at all three clubs where he played, Boca Juniors, Barcelona and most notably Napoli. He will perhaps be best remembered for his victorious 1986 World Cup campaign in Mexico, in the semi-final match-up against England, which is regarded by many as the most brilliant and controversial individual performance in history.
Maradona's career and subsequent life after retirement was similarly riddled with controversy, with his alternation between drug and alcohol abuse forcing him to attend rehab on several occasions culminating in his disqualification for the 1994 World Cup. After announcing complete recovery from his addiction problems in the mid-2000s, Maradona embarked on a coaching career that was nowhere as successful as his playing days, highlighted by an Argentina national team stint 2008-2010 that ended with a World Cup defeat against Germany.
A memorial ceremony for the icon is set to be held in the Argentine presidential palace Thursday and is expected to draw over one million people.
