the hand of argentina

Legendary Argentinian footballer, Diego Maradona, has recently been appointed the manager of the Argentina National Football team. Maradona is known for his "Hand of God" goal to win the 1986 World Cup for his country. He is equally famous for his club going and drug-addled off-pitch lifestyle. Or one might say infamous.

Diego Maradona is now the leader of his national team off the pitch, mirroring his role as a 91 capped player on it. Maradona is to Argentinian and European football what Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Roger Federer have been to their sports. He is an iconic figure, both revered and beloved worldwide.

Though Terry Butcher, former England international and current Scotland national team manager, said he would not shake the legend's hand at the end of their upcoming friendly, the same hand, allegedly, responsible for the goal that lost the cup for a win-starved England. The controversial goal looks in retrospect that Maradona touched the ball with his hand as it touched the back of the net sealing the victory for the South American side.

Butcher is not doing a struggling England side any favors from a PR standpoint. By holding a grudge for over 22 years and well beyond their playing days, it does not reflect well on a bruised national side. After failing to qualify for the 2008 Euros, English football should be looking for ways to increase positivity and not ways to dredge up old, tired and negative memories. Thanks Terry Butcher!

I want to bring up Diego Maradona and his recent battle with what seems like a dim-witted, Butcher, because imagine if Kevin McHale refused to make a trade with Michael Jordan's Charlotte Bobcats because Jordan won an NBA Championship instead of McHale's Celtics. This is the level of foolishness that Butcher is perpetrating and the quality of Maradona's legacy.

Diego Maradona is a representative of how beautiful the beautiful game can be, but he is also a symbol of what can be most destructive in the world's most popular game. His skill is cherished and his vices are villainized. But to not hold out your hand after a hard fought match because of sour grapes, well Terry Butcher, you take the cake. The sour grapes cake!