Diego Maradona quits as Gimnasia La Plata boss

Diego Maradona. Pic/ AFP

Buenos Aires: Football legend Diego Maradona has resigned as head coach of Gimnasia La Plata, just 11 weeks after taking charge of the Argentine Superliga side. The announcement came after club president Gabriel Pellegrino, who was responsible for signing the 59-year-old, announced he would not run for another term in an election on Saturday, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Maradona said that if there was no unity he would quit," Pellegrino told a news conference on Tuesday. "He and his (backroom staff) tried to keep the club together, but that wasn't possible. An election will be held on Saturday and whoever wins will chose the new head coach."

When asked about his future last week, Maradona told reporters that he would continue in the role only if Pellegrino remained. Maradona, who led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title, took charge of Gimnasia in early September after agreeing to a contract that ran until the end of May.

Gimnasia are currently 22nd in the 24-team Argentine Superliga standings with 10 points from 13 matches. Their hopes of avoiding relegation have been boosted by three wins in their past five fixtures.

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