Argentine Football Legend Diego Maradona dies at 60
Buenos Aires, Nov 25: Diego Maradona, the Argentine soccer great who was among the best players ever and who led his country to the 1986 World Cup title before later struggling with cocaine use and obesity, has died. He was 60.
The office of Argentina's president will decree three days of national mourning because of Maradona's death on Wednesday, and the Argentine soccer association expressed its sorrow on Twitter.
Maradona died two weeks after being released from a Buenos Aires hospital following brain surgery.
Famed for the "Hand of God" goal in which he punched the ball into England's net during the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals, Maradona captivated fans over a two-decade career with a bewitching style of play that was all his own.
Although his reputation was tarnished by his addictions and an ill-fated spell in charge of the national team, he remained idolised in soccer-mad Argentina as the "Pibe de Oro" or "Golden Boy.:
The No. 10 he wore on his jersey became synonymous with him, as it also had with Pele, the Brazilian great with whom Maradona was regularly paired as the best of all time.
Bold, fast and utterly unpredictable, Maradona was a mastr of attack, juggling the ball easily from one foot to the other as he raced upfield. Dodging and weaving with his low center of gravity, he shrugged off countless rivals and often scored with a devastating left foot, his most powerful weapon.
"Everything he was thinking in his head, he made it happen with his feet," said Salvatore Bagni, who played with Maradona at Italian club Napoli.
A ballooning waistline slowed Maradona's explosive speed later in his career and by 1991 he was snared in his first doping scandal when he admitted to a cocaine habit that haunted him until he retired in 1997, at 37.
Hospitalised near death in 2000 and again in '04 for heart problems blamed on cocaine, he later said he overcame the drug problem. Cocaine, he once said famously, had proven to be his "toughest rival."
But more health problems followed, despite a 2005 gastric bypass that greatly trimmed his weight. Maradona was hospitalised in early 2007 for acute hepatitis that his doctor blamed on excessive drinking and eating.
He made an unlikely return to the national team in 2008 when he was appointed Argentina coach, but after a quarterfinal exit at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, he was ousted ultimately picking up another coaching job with the United Arab Emirates club Al Wasl.
Maradona was the fifth of eight children who grew up in a poor, gritty barrio on the Buenos Aires outskirts where he played a kind of dirt-patch soccer that launched many Argentines to international stardom.
None of them approached Maradona's fame. In 2001, FIFA named Maradona one of the two greatest in the sport's history, alongside Pele.
"Maradona inspires us," said then-Argentina striker Carlos Tevez, explaining his country's everyman fascination with Maradona at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
"He's our idol, and an idol for the people."
Maradona reaped titles at home and abroad, playing in the early 1980s for Argentinos Juniors and Boca Juniors before moving on to Spanish and Italian clubs. His crowning achievement came at the 1986 World Cup, captaining Argentina in its 3-2 win over West Germany in the final and decisive in a 2-1 victory against England in a feisty quarterfinal match.
Over the protests of England goalkeeper Peter Shilton, the referee let stand a goal by Maradona in which, as he admitted years later, he intentionally hit the ball with his hand in "a bit of mischief."
But Maradona's impact wouldn't be confined to cheating. Four minutes later, he spectacularly weaved past four opponents from midfield to beat Shilton for what FIFA later declared the greatest goal in World Cup history.
Many Argentines saw the match as revenge for their country's loss to Britain in the 1982 war over the Falkland Islands, which Argentines still claim as "Las Malvinas."
"It was our way of recovering 'Las Malvinas,'" Maradona wrote in his 2000 autobiography "I am Diego."
"It was more than trying to win a game. We said the game had nothing to do with the war. But we knew that Argentines had died there, that they had killed them like birds. And this was our revenge. It was something bigger than us: We were defending our flag."
It also was vindication for Maradona, who in what he later called "the greatest tragedy" of his career was cut from the squad of the 1978 World Cup which Argentina won at home because he was only 17.
Maradona said he was given a soccer ball soon after he could run.
"I was 3 years old and I slept hugging that ball all night," he said.
At 10, Maradona gained fame by performing at halftime of professional matches, wowing crowds by keeping the ball airborne for minutes with his feet, chest and head. He also made his playing debut with the Argentinos Juniors youth team, leading a squad of mostly 14-year-olds through 136 unbeaten matches.
"To see him play was pure bliss, true stardom," teammate Carlos Beltran said.
Maradona played from 1976-81 for first division club Argentinos Juniors, then went to Boca Juniors for a year before heading to Barcelona for a world-record 8 million.
In 1984, Barcelona sold him to Napoli, in Italy. He remade its fortunes almost single-handedly, taking it to the 1987 Italian league championship for its first title in 60 years.
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Amid Middle East tensions, flights cancellations at M’luru airport to continue on March 1, 2; Here’s
Mangaluru: Several flights operating to Gulf destinations from Mangaluru International Airport will remain cancelled on March 1 amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The cancellations follow the closure of multiple airspaces after strikes on Iran by Israel and the United States on Saturday. As a precautionary measure, Indian airlines have suspended services to several destinations in the Gulf region.
According to airport sources, the following Air India Express (IX) flights scheduled for March 1 and March 2 have been cancelled due to operational reasons:
IX845 (March 1) – Mangaluru–Jeddah
IX846 (March 1) – Jeddah–Mangaluru
IX817 (March 1) – Mangaluru–Muscat
IX818 (March 1) – Muscat–Mangaluru
IX831 (March 1) – Mangaluru–Dubai
IX832 (March 1) – Dubai–Mangaluru
IX813 (March 1) – Mangaluru–Dubai
IX814 (March 2) – Dubai–Mangaluru
IX841 (March 1) – Mangaluru–Bahrain
IX842 (March 2) – Bahrain–Mangaluru
IX815 (March 1) – Mangaluru–Abu Dhabi
IX816 (March 2) – Abu Dhabi–Mangaluru
Among these, the inaugural Mangaluru–Muscat service also stands cancelled.
IndiGo (6E) has also cancelled the following flights on March 1:
6E1468 (March 1) – Dubai–Mangaluru
6E1467 (March 1) – Mangaluru–Dubai
6E1438 (March 1) – Mangaluru–Abu Dhabi
Air India Express suspends flights to gulf sector till 1 March
Low-cost carrier Air India Express which operates a large network of flights connecting various Indian cities to the Middle East have announced suspended of all its flights until 23:59 hrs on 1 March 2026.
In a statement issued on Saturday evening, the airline said, “Air India Express flights to the Gulf region are suspended till 23:59 hrs on 1 March 2026. Guests are eligible for a free date change or cancellation for travel scheduled till 5 March 2026.”
Air India Express flights to the Gulf region are suspended till 23:59 hrs on 1 March 2026.
— Air India Express (@AirIndiaX) February 28, 2026
Guests are eligible for a free date change or cancellation for travel scheduled till 5 March 2026. Fare difference applies. For any assistance, guests may #ChatWithTia or use 'Manage… pic.twitter.com/j4F5b1pYTz
Meanwhile other airlines also followed suit, Spice Jet, Indigo and Air India urged passengers to check flight status.
Travel Advisory
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) February 28, 2026
We are continuing to closely monitor the evolving situation in and around Iran and the Middle East. We are sending out notifications to customers on their registered mobile numbers. Customers can also refer to the list of cancelled flights on our website…
#TravelUpdate: Due to airspace closure in Dubai (DXB), some of our flights may be affected. Passengers are advised to check their flight status at https://t.co/2wynECZugy or contact our 24*7 Reservation Helpline numbers at +91 (0)124 4983410 or +91 (0)124 7101600 for assistance.
— SpiceJet (@flyspicejet) February 28, 2026
#TravelAdvisory
— Air India (@airindia) February 28, 2026
In view of the developing situation in parts of the Middle East, all Air India flights to all destinations in the Middle East have been suspended. We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety for our passengers and crew. We will continue to…
Budget carrier Akasa Air separately announced that it has suspended all operations to Gulf destinations until March 2, 2026.
#TravelUpdate: Due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East, all Akasa Air flights to and from Abu Dhabi, Doha, Jeddah, Kuwait and Riyadh have been suspended until March 02, 2026. We will continue updating our flight status to these destinations, basis the prevailing situation…
— Akasa Air (@AkasaAir) February 28, 2026
