Premier League - Maradona's cigar sparks Chelsea alarm

Eurosport - Mon, 12 Jan 13:09:00 2009

Chelsea's preparations for their match against Manchester United were disrupted in the early hours of Sunday morning by a fire alarm reportedly started by Argentina legend Diego Maradona's cigar.

2006 Diego Maradona smokes a cigar - 0

Luiz Felipe Scolari's side had to evacuate the Radisson Edwardian Hotel in Manchester after alarms sounded at seven o'clock, and players were spotted standing outside in freezing conditions, some wearing just towels and bathrobes.

An eyewitness told The Sun: "I saw most of Chelsea outside shivering. It wasn't the best preparation for a vital game."

Argentina manager Maradona was in Manchester to see United striker Carlos Tevez, although the 24-year-old played no part in the game as a lacklustre Chelsea side were beaten 3-0.

Greater Manchester Fire Service said they could not reveal what caused the alarm, a fireman said that Maradona and his associates were to blame.

"It looks as though it was set off by Diego and his entourage smoking cigars on the 14th floor," the fireman told The Sun.

Two fire trucks came to the hotel but they discovered no fire in the 263-room hotel.

Hotel manager Steve Miles said: "We followed procedure. It was a genuine alarm."

United suffered their own disruption before the game after their coach driver lost his keys.

The driver smashed a window to gain access to the team bus, but triggered an immobiliser and engineers had to be called to start the engine.

The broken window was visible as the United squad arrived at Old Trafford.

A club spokesman said: "It was accidental, there was nothing sinister about it."

Alex Chick / Eurosport

Comment 53 - 72 of 72

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  1. that is a very bad example from him

    From a.fisher21, on Tue 13 Jan 11:26AM

  2. re Mixi comment 61,,MATHEWS,MORTESON,FINNEY,DRAKE,BASTIN,FRANK SWIFT, AND PLENTY MORE, all who played with loyalty to their clubs, and also for the love of the game, and may I say, all for at most £20 per week., and there were many many more of this ilk when a british player was given a chance to play,not as at present , for which we can blame the the members of the 1st division who in febrary 1992 decided to leave the football league and set up as the premier league, as the money came rolling in, the fans took second place, unrealistic wages started to be paid, as also unrealistic transfer fees being paid and charged, Thank you prenmier league for looking abroad for best players and also best managers (SOME OF THEM). at the same time ignoring up and coming british players, whereby these youg players were confined to the lower leagues, thereby being unable to compete with the best,.no wonder we strugglein internationals. and mixi, holigism isnt only restricted to britain, although we do have quite a few foreign diver s over here..AND I'M NOT A RACIST OR A MEMBER OF THE BNP, IV'E BEEN MARRIED TO A FOREIGNER FOR DONKEYS YEARS.

    From arsnic, on Mon 12 Jan 9:33PM

  3. maradona was the best player in the world, just look what he did to england alone.

    From dav_davidoflynn, on Mon 12 Jan 8:29PM

  4. who is he? lolz! I mean this Maradonna 'thingy?'..hahhahahahhahha

    From Hamimah, on Mon 12 Jan 7:06PM

  5. Bad exemple..

    From Herne, on Mon 12 Jan 5:41PM

  6. Maradona isn't very responsible...

    From Herne, on Mon 12 Jan 5:41PM

  7. aerrrrgh d sh**ness of dis filtering thing;...

    From habeeb a, on Mon 12 Jan 4:53PM

  8. i think its joblessness n nosiness dat things like dis r coming 2 light.firstly, watevr happened in dat hotel had no bearing on chlesea's performance at OT yesterday. dey simply wernt at d races n got their just deserts(dey really r d most overpaid bunch of plyrs)

    From habeeb a, on Mon 12 Jan 4:52PM

  9. THE GREATES PLAYER EVER YOU LOT MUST BE JOKEING Pele was far better so was Eusabeo, Zola, Muller & even Best was a good as him & I almost forget Matthews as well

    From U R SOLES, on Mon 12 Jan 4:07PM

  10. Maradona may not have been smoking in the hotel, but he will always be a short, fat, ugly, lying, arrogant, drug taking, cheating @#$%.

    From ac.ely, on Mon 12 Jan 4:00PM

  11. if this was the 70's the players would only just be getting in from the boozer and it wouldn't have been a problem

    From AG1871, on Mon 12 Jan 3:42PM

  12. Why don't the Sun and the english tabloids put the blame of the world financial crisis on Maradona while we're at it? I'm sure that if they would do that, most english fans would find a way to say that thay're right and that Maradona is responsible for the world's economic crisis! I have only one word to describe the dishonesty of the english press and of most english fans: pathetic. You're just losers who never won anything in your entire lives (unless a phoney world cup that you bought in 1966 which has no value whatsoever) and that's why you can't take the fact that Maradona is the best player of all time, that he single-handedly humiliated England on his own in the 86 world cup and that he has won more titles by himself than what England has won in over 80 years! Keep on whining like little crybabies that you've always been, that's the only thing most England football fans know how to do anyway. Football is the most beautiful sport of all thanks to artists like Maradona, Pelé, Zidane, Cruyff, Di Stéfano, Messi, CR7 etc etc. You'll find no english player in the list of the world's greatest. England's only contribution to modern day football is hooliganism!

    From Mixi, on Mon 12 Jan 3:14PM

  13. hes not a legend maradona a drug cheating scum, he got caught twice and god nos how many times more he was on drugs thru out his playing time !!!!!
    scum dont deserve no credit ever

    From whu2k, on Mon 12 Jan 1:53PM

  14. I remember stopping a ball on the line with his hand, while wearing an England shirt, yet doesn't seem to be mentioned as often as Maradona's goal. Get over it, he was the best player in the world at the time and lead a mediocre Argentinian team to the world cup - it's about time he was given the credit he deserves.

    From Chris, on Mon 12 Jan 1:36PM

  15. lucy s get back to your Knitting and cleaning, or at least tell the lads a dirty story

    From bobby1.penman, on Mon 12 Jan 1:33PM

  16. still light up a football ground eh??

    From bobby1.penman, on Mon 12 Jan 1:32PM

  17. Diego has a life to live like other people who are not real.cheers.

    From jeanyvesesq, on Mon 12 Jan 1:15PM

  18. 7am is ezarly hours when you consider these players wont be working until 4pm in the evening (9 hours time)

    Maradona the great football Idol, have to agree to that to an extent, until he started hoovering up all the colombian exports on his dining room table with his nose!

    From James, on Mon 12 Jan 1:14PM

  19. 1. Since when is 7am "The early hours of the morning" to anyone except the national press of this country? 7am is when most of the hard working people of this country are either hard at work or already getting ready for work.
    2. Maradona cheated there's little doubt of that and he has been a very bad role model because of his drug taking etc in the past. But everyone makes mistakes and if there is someone here who has not made a mistake in ther lives, then they are welcome to accuse him. But in accusing him let's not forget that this man could have walked onto any teamsheet in the world at one time in his life.

    From STUART, on Mon 12 Jan 12:56PM

  20. yo he didn't give a s**t about the essence of the game or the kids or any of that @#$%. he said it in an interview once that i dont care what you think, i just want to play. he was just a circus juggler who loved football and did everything he can do. this guy is a legend like it or not because he's so controversial! Messi is soon going 2 b like him except he actually respects the kids/fans. BARCA 4 EVER

    From Pimpo64, on Mon 12 Jan 12:51PM
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