Kung fu retorts of The Hand

He's been branded "the loose vuvuzela'' of the World Cup coaches because of the controversies that continually swirl around him, but Diego Maradona's passion for the beautiful game, and his beloved Argentina, are unrivalled.

At yesterday's 4-1 demolition of South Korea at Soccer City, the ''Hand of God", sporting a grey suit and matching beard, ran up and down the sidelines like a linesman.

When his team misses a goal-scoring opportunity, the 1986 World Cup hero demonstrates how to do it. His face contorts with emotion as he blasts an imaginary ball into oblivion, his right hand a fist by his side, his left across his chest for balance.

At Argentina's Cup opener, against Nigeria on Saturday, Maradona doubled as ball boy, passing the ball to players from both teams, so anxious was he to get things going.

The man many football experts believe was as good, if not better, than the great Pele, kisses his players on the cheek and always has a smile for the fans, who love him.

But his detractors are many, driven mainly by his seemingly bizarre player selections - Maradona tried out more than 100 players for his World Cup squad and Argentina squeaked through the qualifiers.

And he is extremely sensitive to criticism.

This week, he reignited an old feud with Pele, who controversially claimed that Maradona took up the Argentina coaching job just ''for the money''.

A furious Maradona told a media briefing that the Brazil great ''should go back to the museum''.

He also had a full go at Uefa president Michel Platini, who had questioned his coaching abilities. Maradona confessed to not having much time for the former France star, accusing him of ''believing he is better than the rest of us''.

And he couldn't resist having a dip at South Korea coach Huh Jung-Moo who, when given the impossible task of marking him at the 1986 World Cup, put in a tackle that resembled a kung-fu kick. ''They played taekwondo, not football, against us,'' Maradona recalled before yesterday's clash against his old rivals. ''Oh yes, I remember Huh Jung-Moo very well.''

Gaffes and posturing aside, Maradona's 2010 team is also beginning to look like a world beater.

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