Maradona cancels plans to rejoin Napoli as manager

Maradona was in Rome to present a series of coins that bear his effige and take part in a television show at public channel RAI.
During a press conference on Friday he continued the attacks on Ferlaino that he had begun before coming to Italy and said he will never consider a return to Napoli as long as former president Ferlaino is at the club.

"Ferlaino fooled me, as usual. I don't want to see him again. He only thinks about money, about the sponsors and then he backstabs you," the 40-year-old Argentine said. "He promised me he wanted to make Napoli a big club. He wanted to win with Napoli, and I was ready to come back. But he is interested only in the money of the season tickets."
The Argentine had a brief meeting with Napoli current president Giorgio Corbelli, to whom he gave a signed jersey of Argentina.

"Diego asked for some time to think it over," Corbelli said. "We respect his choice. At this time there are no ways to continue with the project (of his return). I had not met him yet and I wanted to understand (his points). He even sounded witty, after all."
Maradona, who played at Napoli between 1984 and 1991 winning the club's only two championship titles, also incurred in tax problems during his brief Roman stay.

A group of finance police officers waited for him at his landing in Rome to present him a 25-million-dollar bill in unpaid taxes.

(ba/dpa)