Press outburst could cost Maradona

Diego Maradona may be the mythical “el Diez” in his native Argentina yet but perhaps “el bocón” (the bigmouth) is a better nickname after his recent outburst.

Since becoming the coach of Argentina’s men’s national soccer team Maradona has been severely criticized for helming a side that has been inconsistent such as a 6-1 loss by Bolivia. The rocky road to South Africa was only secured via a 1-0 win versus Uruguay in the final qualifier on Wednesday.

After the match, Maradona snapped and ripped his critics in the Argentine press:

"Now they can suck it! Thank you, thank you to all Argentines, except for the journalists.

"They can suck it now, they can suck it now, they can suck it now, they can suck it good!

"Come on, come on Carlos! I told you I wanted you. They can suck it now! Come on, damn it.

"These ******* journalists, the bitch who gave birth to them...

"For the people, for the people!"

In the press conference afterwards, 'El Diez' was no less vulgar.

"For the people. For those who didn't believe, for those who never believed, they can suck it. And keep on sucking it.

"I am white or black, I'll never be grey in my life."

Maradona’s boasting may’ve felt like personal revenge against his critics yet soccer’s global body could sanction him. "We've been left with no other option than to open a disciplinary investigation into the Argentinean team coach," said FIFA head honcho Sepp Blatter who warned that Maradona may be suspended and/or fined as much as about $30,000.

Maradona- who once used an air rifle to shoot at reporters- was blasted by the Argentine press for his ugly tirade. Yet Argentine Football Association chief Julio Grondona defended him as “a temperamental person” while t-shirts bearing the phrase "they can keep sucking it" are reportedly a hot item in Argentina.

Online Sources- Goal.com, Fox Sports, BBC News, The Latin Americanist, YouTube, AFP