“I am not a magician, we are going to fight this with the kids.” When Diego Maradona waltzed into Gimnasia to a hero's welcome back in September, the ever-outspoken coach was keen to downplay expectations of a great escape.
The La Plata club sat rock bottom of the Superliga with just one point from their opening five games and were hopelessly adrift in the average points table used to calculate relegation in Argentina's top flight. Almost eight months on, though, and one would have a hard time convincing any Lobo fan that their trainer does not in fact possess other-worldly powers.
Tuesday's Argentine FA meeting, held by videoconference among club and governing body representatives, decreed an end to the 2019-20 season which was cut off in March due to the coronavirus outbreak. Among the resolutions was one which suspends all relegations for this campaign and the next. As a result, Maradona's Gimnasia are saved from a drop which looked inevitable.
“We got this news today and many are saying that it is the new Hand of God,” Diego told Clarin on Tuesday in reference to the infamous goal he scored with his right fist against England in the 1986 World Cup. “But right now I would ask that hand to be used to stop this pandemic so the people can go back to live their lives, healthy and happy.
“I want it to be made clear that we aren't celebrating the suspension of the tournament nor the elimination of relegation. We wanted to escape on the field. We and the fans are celebrating our work, all we have done up to now.”
Prior to the shutdown - and against all those doomsday predictions of chaos and disaster upon his appointment - Maradona certainly did turn around Gimnasia's fortunes. The Lobo finished the opening stage of the league table in 19th place out of 24 and have lost just two of their last 10 outings.
The coach's vast motivational presence coupled with the discreet yet effective day-to-day work on the training ground carried out by No.2 Sebastian Mendez did get results, enough to pull Gimnasia away from the basement in this year's Superliga, if not in the average points standings. On a broader level too, Diego's presence galvanised the entire division, making every Gimnasia clash a spectacle in itself.
From the hundreds of Newell's Old Boys fans that crowded outside a Rosario hotel to cheer for the opposition trainer – surely a first in the history of world football – to the extravagant World Cup trophy presentation he was treated to prior to a clash away to Independiente alongside Rojo idol and Diego's great friend Ricardo Bochini, clubs pulled out all the stops to make him welcome.
One of the most common tributes was the manufacturing of a plush leather armchair, set up pitchside for Maradona's exclusive use, ensuring that he would not have to slum it on the bench like just another ordinary coach. And let us not forget the unique welcome to the Bombonera offered by Boca Juniors' Carlos Tevez, who kissed Maradona on the mouth prior to the clash which crowned the Xeneize Superliga champions on the last day of the season.
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The chance to enjoy the Maradona show in the Argentine top flight for some time longer is extremely tempting. But Tuesday's decision also raises some serious questions about the league's future.
Even before Covid-19 hit, turmoil and uncertainty were rampant. The AFA was at loggerheads with Superliga, relegation places were reduced and restored in the middle of the season and hosts of clubs were in financial difficulties. The pandemic has only increased that sense of urgency. At best, the likes of Boca Juniors and River Plate will have to tighten their belts and cut costs across the board to make up for the shortfall in income; the vast majority of clubs, though, already barely keeping their heads above water, will enter 2020-21 in virtual, if not literal bankruptcy.
These two years of grace take such projected destitution into account, ring-fencing the Primera to allow clubs to trim their squads, turn to kids and boost bank balances without risk of sporting catastrophe. At the same time two teams will continue to be promoted, meaning that by the time 2021 comes around the top flight will be inflated to 28 sides – two short of the 30-team mess that was the legacy of the late Don Julio Grondona's eternal reign when he passed away in 2014.
“I hope it is understood that we need to take on what comes next together for the good of Argentine football,” Maradona concluded. “Nobody is Rambo and can win this war alone because even Rambo would lose against this.”
Magic or not, Diego has become the grinning face of these emergency measures – but when the storm passes Argentine football will not need gung-ho heroes, but calm, coordinated decision-making to reverse the effects of both Covid-19 and its own errors.