Wasl confirm Diego Maradona will arrive in Dubai tonight

Fans in the UAE have been waiting for Diego Maradona's arrival since he was unveiled as Al Wasl coach in June.

DUBAI // Al Wasl have officially announced that, at long last, the Diego Maradona era is about to begin.

On their Twitter account, the club revealed, "Football legend and Al Wasl Head Coach Diego Maradona arrives to Dubai tonight".

All football fans in the UAE hope that, after a few false starts, the Argentine hero will soon be seen out on the training pitch with his new players.

Maradona had agreed to coach the club in May.

In a deal that shook the football world, Maradona was unveiled as Al Wasl's new coach on June 4. In the ensuing days, he watched the club's final match of the last domestic league season and planned with his assistant, Ali Hassan, for the new campaign.

He then returned home to Argentina, where he had a busy summer. First, he was involved in a minor car accident after watching a game at the Copa America, where he was scouting for new signings. He also visited Hugo Chavez, the Venezuela president, who is undergoing treatment for cancer in Cuba.

Maradona has already recruited three foreign signings for the season — Edson Puch, Mohammed Al Shaiba and Juan Manuel Olivera.

Mariano Donda is emerging as one of the leading candidates to fill the void for the fourth player.