Argentina's football legend Diego Maradona given FIFA ambassadorial role

Maradona, has been invited back into the FIFA fold thanks to a warm relationship with Blatter`s successor Gianni Infantino.

Bueno Aires: Former Argentina captain Diego Maradona has been handed an ambassadorial role by the game`s global governing body FIFA.

"Now it`s official," the 1986 World Cup winner said on his Facebook page on Thursday. "Finally I can fulfill one of the lifelong dreams; to work for a clean and transparent FIFA alongside people who really love football."

The ex-Boca Juniors, Napoli and Barcelona forward, 56, was a harsh critic of disgraced former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who is serving a six-year ban for ethics violations.

The world body is recovering from the worst graft scandal in its history, with dozens of people, including ex-FIFA executive committee members, indicted in the United States since May 2015.

Maradona, who has 91 caps, has been invited back into the FIFA fold thanks to a warm relationship with Blatter`s successor Gianni Infantino, who was elected in February last year.