Argentina coach Diego Maradona believes South America will never catch up with Europe despite the continent’s stunning success at the World Cup in South Africa.
South America had five representatives in the competition and all five made it to the knockout stages, with four of them winning their groups.
Meanwhile, European heavyweights Italy and France were not only knocked out but also finished bottom of groups including such minnows as New Zealand and hosts South Africa. Seven of the 13 European teams bit the dust in the group stages and only Germany, Spain and Holland won their groups.
Even so, the club game in Europe is so much stronger and there is so much more money in competitions like the Champions League, Premier League, La Liga and Serie A, that Maradona believes South America will always lag behind. “I don’t think we will ever be a bigger powerhouse than Europe,” he said.
“What we have to do is build America and make coaches of lesser countries understand that we must have a clear line for kids coming up. We’ll never be bigger than Europe but we will have good players and we must also pay attention to youth leagues and make kids dream of playing in Europe and being ready,” Maradona said. — AFP