FIFA WC: Maradona Appears to Need Assistance at Argentina Match

Earlier, Maradona had been captured by television cameras flicking his middle fingers after Argentina’s win.

Argentina former soccer star Diego Maradona waves to the fans ahead of the Group D match between Argentina and Nigeria at the St. Petersburg Stadium on Tuesday.

(Photo: AP)

Argentina great Diego Maradona appeared to need help to walk after watching his national team dramatically beat Nigeria to survive in the World Cup, according to a video clip posted on Twitter.

Argentine media, including newspaper La Nacion, said Maradona was treated for low blood pressure in the stadium and was able to leave normally shortly afterwards.

In the video posted by Fernando Schwartz, a well-known sports journalist in Mexico, a man can be seen helping Maradona to stay on his feet as he was led away from his seat overlooking the pitch and into an adjacent room.

A photograph also posted on Twitter appeared to show two medical staff attending to Maradona.

Earlier, he had been captured by television cameras flicking his middle fingers towards the crowd and celebrating wildly as Argentina beat Nigeria 2-1 with the winner coming minutes before the South Americans would have been eliminated from the finals.

The Argentine website of sports broadcaster ESPN said Maradona was taken to hospital. But other Argentine media described the incident as only a scare.

A spokesman for World Cup organisers FIFA said Maradona had left the stadium but could not provide further comment. About two hours later, a photograph of Maradona smiling at the airport was posted online.

Apart from this, all throughout the match Maradona was a livewire in the crowd cheering and jeering every move of the Argentine side from the stand.

Here’s a look at what fans of the superstar shared on Twitter:

Maradona, who led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title, has battled cocaine addiction in the past. In 2015, he underwent a gastric bypass operation.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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