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Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has denied that 1986 World Cup winner Diego Maradona was ever offered money to work with the sport's governing body. Claims are made in Maradona's new book about the 1986 World Cup, "My World Cup, my truth: This is how we won the trophy," that Blatter and former FIFA president Joao Havelange had approached him to suggest he work for the world football governing body. When asked in an interview with Argentine newspaper La Nacion if he and Havelange had offered him money to join "the FIFA family," Blatter said he suggested that Maradona do freelance work in 2001 but remuneration was never discussed. "That is pure imagination [about the offer of money]. I once offered him freelance work... to go to contests and visit people," Blatter said. "The freelance proposal was as a volunteer. They are former players who do things for FIFA without asking what they will receive. "But he never wanted to do it. I offered him that position in 2001 during the FIFA congress in Buenos Aires. I was there but Havelange was not." Blatter also shed light on Maradona's positive drugs test for ephedrine that saw him sent home from the 1994 World Cup in the United States after two matches for Argentina. He was relieved that the tournament was able to survive the scandal involving its most famous player and still be deemed a success. "When Maradona was selected to go to the anti-doping [test]," Blatter said. "[Then Argentine football boss] Julio [Grondona] made the sign of the cross and said 'God help us.' "No one wanted to call a press conference because there was the fear that it would destroy the World Cup. But no, for the United States, it was not a big deal." Without Maradona, who never played for Argentina again, the South Americans advanced to the second round at USA '94 before being eliminated by Romania in Los Angeles.
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