Maradona pledges future to Gimnasia after club elections

Buenos Aires, Dec 16: Football legend Diego Maradona has said he will remain head coach of Argentina's Gimnasia after the re-election of president Gabriel Pellegrino.

Pellegrino secured a new three-year term after receiving 61 per cent of support from Gimnasia's voting members in elections on Sunday. He beat rival bids from Mariano Cowen (31 per cent) and Salvador Robustelli (9 per cent), reports Xinhua news agency.

"I would like to thank the club's members for showing their confidence in me by backing Pellegrino, and I'm sure that together we can take the team forward," newspaper El Dia quoted Maradona as saying.

Pellegrino, who was responsible for bringing Maradona to Gimnasia, ruled out running for another term last month, but changed his mind after the 1986 FIFA World Cup winner threatened to quit.

Maradona, 59, took charge of Gimnasia in early September after agreeing to a contract that ran until the end of May 2020.

Gimnasia are currently 21st in the 24-team Argentinian Superliga standings, with 14 points from 16 matches. Their hopes of avoiding relegation have been boosted by four wins and a draw in their past eight fixtures.