By Fiona Forde
Soccer legend and Argentine coach Diego Maradona is planning to ignore a two-month Fifa ban and travel to Cape Town for next week's World Cup draw.
The bad boy of the sport is also in talks with a number of TV companies to broadcast the results live to Argentina next Friday in what would be his ultimate act of defiance.
The Weekend Argus understands that all that's stopping him at this stage of the game is agreeing on the right price.
Maradona's fall-back option came to light this week when Fifa chiefs said they would not drop the ban imposed for his lewd outburst during Argentina's World Cup qualifying game against Uruguay last month.
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Under the ban, which came into effect on November 15th, Maradona cannot partake in any "football related activity", and is not allowed to attend the draw on Friday when it will be determined who plays who, where and when.
The other soccer legend scheduled to arrive in Cape Town shortly is former Brazilian player Pele.
Like Maradona he is considered one of the greatest players in soccer history.
The 69-year-old played in three World Cup winning teams and is Fifa football ambassador for the world.
David Beckham will also fly in, though it is possible that he will be the only mega-European soccer star at the draw as it is still soccer season in the Northern hemisphere.
However, Beckham's presence is considered to be a PR push on the part of Britain which is pushing to host the World Cup in 2018.
Though Fifa and the local organising committee have promised a star-studded line-up for the event, they are strangely tight-lipped about who is due in town.
President Jacob Zuma is expected to be the sole head of state in attendance, which is highly unusual given that this is billed as an African World Cup.
Though some former heads of state are rumoured to be travelling to the Mother City, Fifa has refused to disclose who they might be.
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This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Argus on November 28, 2009
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