Football legend Diego Maradona will visit Nagaland and play an exhibition match in December, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday. The Argentinian World Cup winner will arrive in Kohima on December 11 and will play the match with an under-16 team on December 12, according to a circular issued by the Nagaland Youth Resources & Sports Department. The invitation was issued by NGO Northeast for Child Rights.
Maradona will be treated as an official guest of the state government, according to Nagaland Post. The state administration has directed several departments to make the necessary arrangements for his visit. Local sports department officials said they had invited him to motivate football players in the state.
“Football lovers in the state will get the golden opportunity to see the legend on home turf and in person,” an official said. Chief Minister TR Zeliang is expected to host a dinner in his honour, but the duration of Maradona’s stay remains unclear.
Maradona played for Argentina in four World Cup tournaments. He was part of the squad that won the 1986 Fifa World Cup. This will be his third visit to India – Maradona came to Kolkata in 2008 and visited Kerala in 2012.
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