By Paul Giblin
MOSCOW, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Former Argentina star, Diego Maradona needed treatment by paramedics following Argentina's nerve-wracking win over Nigeria which booked them a place in the last 16 of the World Cup on Tuesday night.
Maradona was shown by TV cameras during the game to be in a highly nervous state as Argentina struggled for the win they needed to have a chance of reaching the knockout stages of the tournament. Maradona was pictured making obscene gestures to fans after defender Marcos Rojo netted the late goal that earned the South Americans a tie against France.
After the game, Maradona was shown being helped from his seat in the St Petersburg Stadium before collapsing into a chair. He received treatment from Russian paramedics, with some media outlets reporting he had been taken to a local hospital.
The former player denied he had been taken to the hospital and posted a photo of himself in a private jet about to fly to Moscow at around 01:45 a.m. on Wednesday.
Former England striker Gary Lineker criticized Maradona's goal celebrations as he hosted the BBC's World Cup coverage in England. "There's Diego Maradona celebrating...there's a danger he's becoming a laughing stock I'm afraid," Lineker said.
During his career Maradona was twice banned for drug use, leaving Napoli after testing positive for cocaine. He also received a further ban after a positive drugs test during the 1994 World Cup finals.
