Maradona apologises for attacking referee

Diego Maradona has apologised to Fifa after an outspoken attack on the referee for Colombia’s defeat to England at the World Cup.

Argentina’s 1986 World Cupwinning captain claimed Colombia suffered a “monumental robbery” in the last-16 tie on Tuesday after England were awarded a penalty for a foul on Harry Kane.

Maradona said American referee Mark Geiger “knows a lot about baseball but has no idea about football” and also criticised Fifa for appointing the official to the match.

His remarks earned him a rebuke from tournament organisers Fifa, whom it is understood pay Maradona around 10,000 US dollars a game as part of its “Legends” ambassador programme.

Maradona, 57, has now expressed regret for his comments in a post on Instagram.

He wrote: “Taken by the excitement of supporting Colombia the other day, I said a couple of things and, I admit, some of them are unacceptable. My apologies to Fifa and its president.

“As much as I may sometimes have opinions contrary to some refereeing decisions, I have absolute respect for the work – not easy – that the institution and the referees do.”

Maradona, who was photographed in a Colombia shirt before the match, had accused England players of conning Geiger and said the referee should have reviewed, and then overturned, the penalty decision.

He told Venezuelan television channel Telesur: “The penalty was not a penalty; it was a foul by Kane ... Why didn’t he use VAR?

“Today I saw a monumental robbery on the pitch.”