Maradona backs use of VAR
Diego Maradona has backed the use of video assistant referees (VARs) in soccer even though he is aware that his infamous 'Hand of God' goal would not have stood if the technology had existed during his heyday.
The goal during the 1986 World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and England is one of the most talked about in the history of football, alongside his brilliant solo run past five defenders in the same game that gave his side a 2-1 victory.
The diminutive Argentine, who tapped the ball over the head of onrushing goalkeeper Peter Shilton with his fist to score his country's first goal, gained even more notoriety when he claimed afterwards it had been scored by the 'Hand of God'.
"Obviously I think about it whenever I show my support for the use of technology," Maradona said in an interview posted on global soccer's governing body FIFA's website on Tuesday.
"I thought about it and, sure, that goal wouldn't have stood if technology had been around. And I'll tell you something else: at the 1990 World Cup I used my hand to clear the ball off the line against the Soviet Union.”
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