Maradona grounded after passport mix-up

"It's a very rare occurence," said Diego Morla, the double World Cup winner's lawyer.

"They told him his passport had been reported as stolen despite Diego holding it in his hands!"

Morla hinted that there must have have been a fake report which triggered the situation.

"Diego is really surprised by this saga, which has strangely happened right after he criticised the government," said Morla.

The former Napoli and Argentina legend last month condemned the new Argentinian government saying that since they had come to power Argentina had fallen to its "knees".