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Reports: Tax authorities swoop for Maradona's earrings

  • Story Highlights
  • Maradona staying a clinic in Italy when tax authorities swooped
  • Reports: Argentina coach owes millions in taxes from his time playing in Italy
  • Maradona says Serie A club should have paid the taxes
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(CNN) -- Football legend Diego Maradona had his earrings seized by Italian authorities Friday to help pay off his back taxes, according to media reports.

Diego Maradona sports expensive-looking earrings during a recent football match.

Diego Maradona sports expensive-looking earrings during a recent football match.

The current coach of Argentina's national team was staying at a clinic in northern Italy in a bid to lose weight when finance police swooped, Reuters.com reported.

The jewelry was said to be worth €4,000 ($5,888).

Italian tax authorities say he owes the country €31 million ($45 million) in back taxes from when he played for top league club Napoli between 1984 and 1991.

But Maradona says the Serie A club should have paid the taxes.

Three years ago, tax police took two Rolex watches from him when he was back in Italy for a benefit match.

The 48-year old is under intense pressure in his native Argentina after a dismal World Cup qualifying campaign left his star-studded team in danger of missing their first tournament since 1970.

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After a recent defeat against Paraguay he was quoted by FIFA.com as saying, "I am not afraid of criticism. I am afraid of nobody. I am doing my job, I have my team and I am going to go forward.

"I have been battling critics since I was 15 years old. Now I am 48 and I am going to continue to battle with them [the press]."

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