Despite reportedly being on the brink of a World Cup stadium ban from FIFA, Argentina icon Diego Maradona has been snapped inside Kazan Arena happily kissing a blonde companion and receiving an award from Tatarstan’s president.
Maradona was pictured giving a double middle-finger salute to the crowd after Argentina scored a dramatic last-minute winner against Nigeria to book a place in the last 16 of the tournament.
FIFA subsequently warned the 57-year-old to improve his behavior or face a stadium ban for the entire tournament. The organization also reportedly ended the 1986 World Cup winner’s status as a FIFA ambassador, according to South American media.
READ MORE: FIFA threatens Maradona with stadium ban over bizarre behavior at Argentina match
Nevertheless, Maradona seemed to be making the most of his time in the stand at Kazan Arena, the venue for Argentina’s crunch knockout stage tie with France; he was pictured receiving an award from the president of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov.
Kazan is the capital of the Russian region of Tatarstan. Maradona was also pictured happily smooching with a blonde companion who was wearing an Argentina jersey with ‘Maradona 10’ on the back, who seemed more than happy for him to be in the stadium.
Maradona’s outburst at St. Petersburg Stadium at the Nigeria game also saw him appear to bless himself as though possessed when Lionel Messi opened the scoring, and scream at Nigeria fans when The Super Eagles equalized.
In response to his behavior, FIFA competitions director Colin Smith commented: “We know what happened and we hope that all ex-players, players and fans behave in a respectful way.”
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