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RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Diego Maradona has responded to being called a "bad luck charm" by Argentina's football association president by showing him the middle finger on live TV.
Maradona was responding to reports that Julio Grondona called him a jinx after Argentina's 1-0 victory over Iran on Saturday.
Maradona watched the game at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte but left shortly before Lionel Messi scored the winner in stoppage time. Argentine media reported that Grondona said "the bad luck charm left and we won." Maradona, who has a spiky relationship with Grondona, later gave analysis to Venezuelan broadcaster Telesur.
He said "I want to tell Grondona, who said that, that what I have, I earned working. What he has was bought by FIFA."
He later looked at the camera in silence and stuck up his middle finger.
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