Maradona 'In Love' with Venezuela's Chavez **BARF ALERT**

Reuters ^ | Mar. 31, 2005 | Staff

[Kitten Festival]

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona said on Thursday he was "in love" with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, whom he admires for his left-wing political policies.

"I like women, but I've fallen in love with Chavez," Argentina's former World Cup winning captain told reporters after having lunch with the Venezuelan leader at the presidential palace. The two embraced afterward.

The 44-year-old soccer celebrity, considered one of the greatest players of all time, is also an ardent admirer of Fidel Castro, the Communist President of Cuba where Maradona has lived since 2000 while fighting cocaine addiction.

[Kitten Festival]

It doesn't get worse than this. Even the reporter didn't want to sign his name.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Diego Maradona has received permission to pursue treatment for his longstanding cocaine addiction in Cuba, his lawyer announced in Buenos Aires on Monday.

Hector Leguizamon said the Argentine football great was given permission to return to Havana by Norberto Garcia Vedia, the judge in charge of his case.

The ailing 43-year-old has been detained in a psychiatric clinic in the suburbs of Buenos Aires for the past four months. In April he was admitted to hospital with life threatening heart and lung problems.

The judge's ruling comes after a lengthy legal battle over where the former World Cup winner should continue his treatment for cocaine abuse.

[Lawgvr1955]

Cuba is probably a good place to go to get over his "food consumption abuse" too.

[wagglebee]

When will athletes, movie stars, musicians and other pathetic celebrities realize that they are generally too stupid to be giving their opinions on anything.

[bahblahbah]

They're pretty gay down there.

[The Red Baron]

It's all that soccer.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

[The ailing 43-year-old has been detained in a psychiatric clinic in the suburbs of Buenos Aires for the past four months.]

Yet Reuters had no problem passing on the "words of widom" of this whack-job to the world. What next? Charles Manson's thoughts about why re-electing George Bush was a bad thing?

[Kitten Festival]

How'd you like THAT guy saying he's in love with you? Somehow I think he's just what Chavez deserves.

[itsamelman]

Maradona: "I've fallen in love with Chavez. It pretty much felt like a thumb. "

Like a virgin indeed.

(So many more comments, but I'll stop myself right there...)

[Theresawithanh]

"Cuba is probably a good place to go to get over his "food consumption abuse" too"

I was just gonna say, he looks a little porky for a soccer player in that pic.

May he and Chavez live together happily ever after...

[Liberator]

Maradona is lookin' healthy, ain't he?

The #1 Soccer Player In The World has been reduced to being a crazy drug-addled gay butterball.

Yeah, "Thumbs up" to you too, you freakin' nutjob.

[Numbers Guy]

[ChicagoRighty]

That pic is actually flattering, compared to some I saw about a year ago. He was near death due to his abuse of illicit drugs, food and other substances. He has kidney failure and other very dire problems for a 44 year-old former soccer phenom.

But who really cares what he has to say about world events, anyway?

[plain talk]

Hypocrit. If she loves it so much, she should give up her wealth for the common good, move there and live under it.

[DocH]

Like the brain-dead Ali, he's perhaps been hit in the head a few too many times, although with him, it was with soccer balls (heading), rather than fists.

[DocH]

And YOU thought the has-been porn star, Ron Jeremy, was one fat UGLY S.O.B.!

[Lazamataz]

Shut up and kick the ball.

[6SJ7]

I thought you said 'Madonna'. That would be strange enough.

[ExpatGator]

Hey Maradona: put down the cocaine and back away from that plate of frijoles. Damn son, you were really not that good, and you were a frequent cheater and poor sport. In fact, you ain't worth an athletic cup full of warm pee. The game is better of without you.