DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Diego Maradona was hired Monday to coach United Arab Emirates club Al Wasl on a two-year contract, a move the club hopes will boost its prospects and attract more sponsors and fans to the domestic league. Patrick Roy Avalanche Jersey . Maradona, who has been out of coaching since leading Argentina to the World Cup quarter-finals last year, will be in charge when the next season opens in September. "Al Wasl Sports Club has become synonymous with achievements of this calibre, and we are very pleased to be welcoming Maradona to a long line of accolades in the clubs history," vice chairman Marwan Bin Bayat said in a statement. "This partnership embodies the vision of the club as it embraces forward thinking developments in the region to establish unprecedented standards for the sport." The 50-year-old Maradona visited the clubs training facility Saturday and had been in talks for several days. Dressed in a polo shirt, shorts, and baseball cap, the tattooed Maradona blew kisses to fans who mobbed him and chanted his name as he watched the team practise. He didnt talk to reporters and the club said he left Sunday for Spain to attend his daughters birthday party in Madrid. He is expected to return to Dubai next month. Al Wasl officials would not disclose details of the contract, saying only that it was for two years and that he would be responsible for leading the club "to new heights." Al Wasl is currently fourth in the domestic league, which ends next month, and has been looking for a coach since firing Sergio Farias in March. The top four teams in the league qualify for next seasons Asians Champions League. The sports club, which includes the soccer team, is chaired by Sheik Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is a brother of the Dubai ruler. Al Wasl is considered one of the top clubs in Dubai but hasnt won anything since 2007 when it won the title of the former UAE league, which included mainly amateur clubs, and the UAE Presidents Cup in the same year. The league turned fully professional three years ago. The signing of the Maradona is one of the biggest for the fledging United Arab Emirates professional league, which is only in its third season. Last year, Dubai club Al Ahli signed and subsequently fired former Leeds and Aston Villa manager David OLeary. It also signed former Juventus captain Fabio Cannavaro, who remains with the club though he is out injured. Carlo Nohra, the leagues chief executive officer, called the hiring of Maradona "welcome news" for a 12-team league that has seen its attendance grow this year by 30 per cent. "Maradonas football credentials speak for themselves, and whilst its too early for us to judge what this appointment will mean for the league or the club, his profile and popularity have undoubtedly brought focus to the League which is as a positive thing," Nohra said. Maradona was captain when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, but a ballooning waistline later slowed his explosive speed and he retired in 1997. Before taking over as coach of Argentina in 2008, he had only coached Deportivo Mandiyu in 1994 and Racing Club in 1995, and in both cases left before his contract was up. Under Maradona, Argentinas results were mixed and the team slumped to two of its worst losses -- a 6-1 hammering by Bolivia in World Cup qualifying and a 4-0 quarter-final loss to Germany at the final tournament in South Africa. Since losing the Argentina job last year, Maradona has been linked to several coaching vacancies, including Irans national team and English clubs Blackburn and Fulham. Gabriel Landeskog Red Jersey . Moskalski, a fourth-year physical education and recreation student from Edmonton, collected four points in two games as the Pandas kicked off conference play with a pair of road wins over Canada West champion Manitoba. Jarome Iginla Jersey . Forte was injured on a run deep in Chicago territory midway through the first quarter, when Kansas Citys Derrick Johnson hit him in the knee.MOENCHENGLADBACH, Germany - Borussia Moenchengladbach has extended coach Lucien Favres contract until 2017 despite going nine games without a win in the Bundesliga. The club says the coach has been doing "an outstanding job in the last three years" and that "our common paath is far from over. Matt Duchene Blue Jersey. quot; The 56-year-old Swiss coach saved Moenchengladbach from relegation and then took the club to a Champions League qualifying spot the next season. Moenchengladbach has dropped from third to eighth in the current Bundesliga campaign. cheap nfl jerseyscheap jerseys ' ' '
