Argentine football legend Diego Maradona to visit Kolkata during U-17 World Cup

Not so good news for the fans of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona's trip to Kolkata. The visit has been postponed for a third time on Saturday and the soccer wizard would be arriving on October 8 during the FIFA Under-17 World Cup.

The trip will concur with the inauguration of U-17 FIFA World Cup in Kolkata when Chile face England and Iraq take on Mexico in two group F matches.

The original itinerary would have seen Maradona kicking off a football conclave on October 3 along with cricket icon Sourav Ganguly in the much-hyped Match for Unity in Barasat on October 5.

The organisers have said that due to an unexpected football obligation in the UAE, Maradona has now committed to come on October 8 and stay until October 10 to fulfill his commitments in Kolkata.

"To the people of Kolkata, I would like to tell you that due to my work obligations in the Arab Emirates, my visit to India on October 2 has been postponed," read the English translation of a Spanish post on Maradona's official Facebook page.

"I want to thank the authorities and all those who make possible my visit to their beloved country. See you soon #Kolkata, I wish you happy holidays!!!"

"The match was shifted because of Muharram and Durga Puja immersion. Now the match will be a closed door affair, where entry is by invitation only," Vivek Kumar Agarwal, founder, Dhulaiwala Group, the title sponsors of the event said. 

Many in the sport, including football writers, players, and fans, regard Maradona as the greatest football player of all time and he was the joint FIFA Player of the 20th Century with Pelé.