"Playing like that, he can't come back to Argentina," the 1986 World Cup winner told Venezuelan television after Lionel Messi missed a penalty in the 1-1 Group D stalemate in Moscow.
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Maradona pours scorn on Argentina coach after Iceland draw
Argentina legend Diego Maradona issued a scathing assessment Sunday of his country's World Cup draw with Iceland, warning manager Jorge Sampaoli that he would not be welcome back home unless he changes his tactics.
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"It's a disgrace. Not having prepared for the match knowing that Iceland are all 1.90m tall... I get the feeling there's a general anger at the heart of the team," said Maradona, himself a former national team coach.
Argentina took the lead through Sergio Aguero in the 19th minute Saturday as a cigar-puffing Maradona looked on from the stands of the Spartak Stadium.
But minnows Iceland, playing at their first ever finals, levelled four minutes later through Alfred Finnbogason.
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Messi, whose performances in World Cups are arguably the only blot on an other-worldly career, spurned a chance to take the lead when his 63rd-minute spot kick was saved by Hannes Halldorsson.
But Maradona avoided criticising his heir apparent and instead pointed the finger at Sampaoli.
"I don't blame the players. I could blame the lack of work rate. But I can't blame the players, much less Messi, who gave it all he had," he said.
"I missed five penalties on the spin and I was still Diego Armando Maradona. I don't think that they dropped two points because Messi missed a penalty," added Maradona, who led Argentina to the quarter-finals in South Africa in 2010.
Argentina play Croatia in their next game in Saint Petersburg on June 21.
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