'Please Don't End Up Like Elvis!': Former International Footballer Warns Maradona
Former Norwegian international Jan Age Fjortoft has urged Argentina legend Diego Maradona to ease up on his life-threatening lifestyle, after he was taken to hospital following the Group D match between Argentina and Nigeria at the World Cup.
The 57-year-old, famous as one of the greatest players of all time and the scorer of the 'Hand of God' goal against England, appeared to be behaving erratically in his executive box and even made an obscene gesture to the pitch during the match.
After the match, Maradona took to Facebook to reassure the public that he was fine, stating that the issues were caused by neck pain.
Despite this, there were concerns that he was under the influence of either drugs or alcohol, prompting Fjortoft to take to twitter in an attempt to urge the FIFA ambassador to be careful with his health. He even went as far as to compare him to Elvis Presley, who died partly due to his dangerous drug habits.
In his Facebook post, Maradona is quoted as saying: "I want to tell everyone that I am fine...In the halftime of the game against Nigeria, my neck hurt a lot and I suffered a decompensation.
"I was checked by a doctor and he recommended me to go home before the second half, but I wanted to stay because we were risking it all. How could I leave?
"I send a kiss to everyone, thanks for the support!"
According to the Times, via the Sun, senior figures within FIFA have taken notice of Maradona's erratic behaviour, but it is unclear whether or not they will take actions against him.
Argentina's game against Nigeria was a must-win for La Albiceleste, and they didn't disappoint as they beat the Super Eagles 2-1 to advance to the Last 16.
