Soccer: Angry Maradona detained at Rio airport

SAO PAULO, Brazil - Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona was detained at Rio de Janeiro airport today after he tried to force his way onto a flight that he was late for, police and a Brazilian airline said.

Police held Maradona, 45, for several hours in the morning before releasing him. He boarded a flight to Buenos Aires on Thursday afternoon.

Maradona, plagued by health problems since he retired in 1997, had played a benefit game organised by ex-Brazilian star and current Japan coach Zico in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday.

He arrived late at Tom Jobim International Airport for a flight back to Argentina and began arguing with the staff of Brazilian airline TAM, police said.

TAM said the boarding gate was closed when Maradona and four companions arrived. They damaged a door in the passageway to the plane and forced open a second door before police arrived, the airline said in a statement.

Maradona insulted an officer during an ensuing argument, but there was no physical violence, police chief Marcelo Nogueira said.

Fellow former Argentina player Alejandro Mancuso, who was with Maradona, told Argentine radio station Mitre that Maradona had been well-behaved and was on time for the flight.

"We arrived at the airport with Diego very quiet. We were in the duty-free shop. When they announced boarding, we approached and then they closed the plane door in our faces. The anger was logical and justified," he said.

GUNS DRAWN

Mancuso said that when they asked for an explanation, a TAM staffer called police and four officers arrived with guns drawn. An Argentine diplomat went to the airport to help resolve the matter.

Police said that Maradona was released after he agreed to pay for damaged items. TAM said there was no damage in the VIP room, contradicting an earlier police report.

Maradona had played for about 80 minutes in Wednesday's benefit match, which pitted former stars against current professionals. "Maradona shines," Globo newspaper said in a front-page headline.

The Argentine is considered one of the greatest players of all time. But since his retirement in 1997 he has been bedevilled by cocaine addiction, alcohol abuse and obesity.

Lately he has appeared to be on the mend after several years in and out of rehabilitation, including a spell in Cuba where President Fidel Castro befriended him.

Last month he made a surprise appearance in an exhibition game before a Boca Juniors match, the club he played for as a youngster before going on to greater fame in Europe.

He led protests against US President George W. Bush when he attended a summit in Argentina last month. He also has his own talk show on Argentine television.

In his glory days, Maradona led Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup and captained the team in the 1990 tournament, when it lost in the final.

- REUTERS