Maradona shadow hangs over Argentine bid for glory

BUENOS AIRES, May 24: Jose Pekerman has been charged with no less a task than to erase the hurt of Argentina's dismal World Cup in 2002 by leading them to their first victory since 1986, when the captain was Diego Maradona.

The two men's paths have converged before but Maradona now casts a shadow over Pekerman's Argentina.

Maradona was a ball boy at Argentinos Juniors when Pekerman was pulling the strings in the Buenos Aires first division team's midfield in the early 1970s.

When Maradona was embarking on his brilliant career in Europe in the early 1980s, Pekerman was driving a taxi in Buenos Aires to make ends meet, having ended his playing career in Colombia prematurely due to injury.

Maradona was being touted late last year for a none too clearly defined role in the national team set-up while a growing army of critics voiced their concern over Pekerman's poor results and too much tinkering with the line-up.

Argentina's greatest player, whom Pekerman has said he would welcome into the fold, withdrew at the last minute, saying the timing was not right.

Maradona will, no doubt, be waiting in the wings should Pekerman fail in Germany.

Pekerman has become increasingly aware of the pressure of the job that led his predecessor Marcelo Bielsa to quit 18 months ago and that no amount of success with the country's junior teams can fully prepare a coach for.

He knows what it is to go to a tournament and win, having steered Argentine junior sides to victory in three World Youth Cups and two South American championships between 1995 and 2001.

Pekerman also reached the final of his first tournament in charge of the seniors, the Confederations Cup in June, with an under-strength side who were hammered 4-1 by Brazil in the final.

The leap in quality that players have to make for promotion from junior internationals to World Cup standard is a learning curve for Pekerman too.

Pekerman may end up being be eternally grateful for the sudden emergence of Lionel Messi, a ''new Maradona'' -- while knowing that the eyes of Maradona himself and the rest of Argentina's soccer-crazy populace will be watching every move he makes.

REUTERS