Beckham, Rivaldo, Zidane lined up for UAE game

World player of the year Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham of England and Brazilian Rivaldo have been lined up as a possible replacement for Maradona in a testimonial game for a former United Arab Emirates skipper.

The 40-year-old Argentine 1986 World Cup winner was finally ruled out for the match for Abdul Rahman Mohammed on March 8 after a series of cancellations, Gulf News reported on Wednesday.

Instead, organisers have earmarked three of the world's leading players in Zidane, Beckham and Rivaldo as possible alternatives.

"We have received instructions not to continue our negotiations with Maradona," Mohammed Hamida, the event organiser, told Gulf News.

"It is now beyond us. There is no way that he will come to Dubai at our invitation or play in the March 8 testimonial for Abdul Rahman Mohammed.

"Instead we have received instructions to try to secure contracts for either England's David Beckham, Brazilian Rivaldo or France's Zinedine Zidane.

"We will commence the paperwork and do everything we can to get one of them over here," he added.

According to the newspaper, Maradona's manager Guillermo Coppola had made one last attempt to salvage his client's involvement in the event, for which the Argentine was due to be paid $250,000.

"Diego still wants to come to your country," said Coppola. "It's a strange situation why this is not possible. He has rearranged his whole schedule only to be able to travel to Dubai and this is not possible. We ask, where did we go wrong, and why can't Diego come?

"Diego says he does not know what the reason is for all the confusion and hopes something can still be worked out.

"I have been his manager and friend for the last 16 years and never before have we experienced a situation like this. It's very unusual and makes us very sad.

"Diego is not responsible for any of the mistakes and cancellations and wants to make it very clear that he was always willing and ready to come to Dubai.

"There were invitations from many European countries, but Diego turned them all down because he wanted to go to Dubai.

"This is a shameful way to treat somebody as famous as Diego," Coppola said.