Maradona apology to Platini, but not Pele

Published Jun. 17, 2010 6:34 p.m. ET

foxsports

Diego Maradona made his peace with Michel Platini on Thursday, but Pele will have to wait for his apology.

Wrapping up a news conference after Argentina's 4-1 win over South Korea on Thursday, the Argentina coach sat back down and pulled a letter out of his pocket.

"I received a letter from Platini in which he clarified he'd never said what you journalists claimed he had," Maradona said. "So, I want to say sorry to Platini - but not to Pele."

Maradona had criticized the pair in reaction to reports that they had been critical of his coaching style.

Maradona said Wednesday that Platini, a former France captain and president of UEFA, "thinks of himself as being more than the rest of the world" because he is French.

Maradona also told former Brazil great Pele "to go back to the museum."

Maradona and Pele, regularly voted football's greatest ever players, have been at loggerheads for years.