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Report: Maradona 'in advanced stages of negotiations' to take over as manager of Palestine

Alessandro Bianchi / Reuters

"I support the case of the Palestinian people because I grew up fully aware of struggle and confrontation of injustice. Palestine is a struggling country."

Those were the words of Diego Maradona in 2012, when he described himself as "the biggest fan and supporter of the Palestinian people" while discussing Middle Eastern politics as the then-manager of Dubai club Al-Wasl.

Having made no secret of his stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Maradona is now reportedly set to back his words up with actions - by taking over as the manager of Palestine's national team.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the Argentine who scored after single-handedly dribbling through each and every England player at the 1986 World Cup is "in advanced stages of negotiations" to become Palestine's next manager as the team prepares for its first-ever appearance at the Asian Cup in January.

While Maradona's success on the pitch is unparalleled by all but arguably one player, his managerial career has been marred by criticism. He led Argentina to the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup, where they were eliminated in humiliating fashion, falling 4-0 against Germany.

Although his tactics and call-ups for the tournament were widely seen as a train wreck, he was subsequently offered a job as manager of Al-Wasl, who he guided to zero trophies before being sacked 14 months later.

Palestine have been placed in Group D at the Asian Cup alongside Japan, Jordan, and Iraq.

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