SAO PAULO, Jan 25 — His nickname is God but Diego Maradona is being treated as a king by his club, who have made a special throne for the 59-year-old coach to use on the sidelines of each home game.

Gimnasia y Esgrima will auction the high-backed chair, decked out in the club colours of blue and white and replete with the official crest and initials DM, after each home match.

Maradona, who won the World Cup with Argentina in 1986 and is widely held to be one of the greatest ever players in the game, took over at the La Plata club in September and is charged with helping them avoid relegation to Argentina’s second tier.

The club said Maradona will also sign replicas of the throne to be sold in the club shop. He signed his first chair yesterday before Gimnasia’s Superliga game with Velez Sarsfield. — Reuters