Maradona comes to Zenga’s defence

Al Wasl boss Diego Maradona has leapt to the defence of coaching counterpart Walter Zenga after the Al Nasr manager sparked widespread controversy with some ill-advised post-match comments. Zenga has apologised for claiming “everybody is crazy in this country” during a Press conference in the wake of his side’s 1-0 defeat to Dubai last Friday evening. It’s not the first time the outspoken Italian has hit the headlines for his remarks in media briefings either of late, having only last month dismissed a local reporter as “nothing,” “a nobody” and “stupid” following Nasr’s 1-1 draw with Al Wahda. However, Maradona insists his close friend from their time together in Serie A was merely referring to individuals within the football industry here – and not the entire Emirati and expat population – when he unleashed his most recent rant. “I spoke to Walter Zenga after this incident and he told me exactly what happened,” the Argentinian legend said of the former Inter and Italy goalkeeper, who has since closed his account on micro-blogging website Twitter. “As you know, goalkeepers’ reactions are different to others. He did not mean any disrespect to the country. “What he actually meant was specific to the football industry here. He loves being here and is very happy, but most of what he said was misinterpreted and some people tried to do things from a critical point of view. “But, after speaking to him, he did not mean anything of what was said.” Maradona meanwhile has also sent his best wishes to Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba and FC Barcelona defender Eric Abidal, with the former recovering from a cardiac arrest sustained in an FA Cup tie at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and the latter facing a liver transplant operation. “What happened to Fabrice is very sad,” he explained. “It affects us very deeply and, for me personally – as a footballer – I definitely know what his family and everyone around him is going through. “I also feel very deeply about (Eric) Abidal as well and I’d like to send my regards to both of these players and I hope that they get well soon.” He added: “We definitely need to take care of all of our players. We need to take the necessary measures to be able to safeguard players – just like they do in Formula One, where they do a lot of check-ups before any driver is allowed on the track. “The same should happen with players before the season, during the season and during training sessions to make sure that they are always in good condition and safe when they’re playing on our pitches.”