SOCCER SCOTLAND v ARGENTINA:TERRY BUTCHER may be the only man in Scotland who appears unwilling to shake the Hand of God. The former England captain and now assistant manager of the Scottish national team, spoke candidly yesterday about his unwillingness to forgive or forget Diego Maradona for "that" iconic goal in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final.
Maradona's hand flick, of course, contributed to England and Butcher's elimination, a matter which has been celebrated among Scottish football fans in the form of T-shirts and songs. Tomorrow the pair will come face to face for the first time in 22 years as Maradona begins his career as his country's head coach at Hampden Park.
Butcher, however, says they are unlikely to exchange even basic pleasantries despite the prospect of the Tartan Army hailing the former Argentina playmaker in vociferous fashion.
"I'll never forgive him," said Butcher. "At the end of the day it is not nice when you lose a World Cup quarter-final under those circumstances.
"It's very hard to forgive and forget in the circumstances. But it was 22 years ago. I think I'm 4-1 to get a red card in the tunnel - it would be the fist of Terry Butcher rather than the hand. "
When asked if he would enjoy a chat with Maradona regarding the incident in Mexico's Estadio Azteca, the former Rangers and Ipswich Town defender added: "No. We have got to share technical areas but that's it as far as I'm concerned."
What of a handshake, at the end of tomorrow's match, even? "No, I'm not bothered about that. For me, that's not a focal point." Think again, Terry.
Butcher's obvious pain relates to Maradona's "attitude long after the game", or rather that the 48-year-old has shown little remorse. The pair were together immediately after that infamous game as they were drug-tested.
Butcher, along with his England team-mates Gary Stevens and Kenny Sansom, struggled to contain their anger.
"It could have been a warzone in there but it wasn't. I wasn't next to him; if I was I might have done something. I would pay a few thousand pounds to be in that drugs room again if I knew he was going to be in there," added Butcher.
"He came in and celebrated. He was the last person you wanted to see because, remember, he had also scored a wonderful goal on the way to which he beat me twice. I felt it more than anybody else.
"When I signalled to him about the head or the hand, he pointed to his head. Maybe that was because it was a small room and there were three Englishmen, not very happy, so he probably took the safe option.
"But that irritated me even more. If he had come in and said 'It was my hand, I apologise' then I would have only [wanted to] hit him four or five times instead of 20."
Butcher moved almost immediately after that World Cup campaign to Scotland, where the Hand of God affair proved highly topical. "I saw more Argentina shirts in Scotland than I did in Mexico, people kept chanting 'Argentina' at me."
The Scotland defender Gary Caldwell revealed Butcher had made his motivations for tomorrow's friendly perfectly clear during a team meeting on Sunday evening.
"He said they [Argentina] can be horrible to play against and will do anything to win," Caldwell said. "We have to try to rise above that."
The striker Chris Iwelumo said Butcher had become "quite emotional" when referring to the Argentinians. "I don't have a particularly strong liking for Argentina so that came across," Butcher explained. "James McFadden piped up and said 'we actually like Maradona'. I don't think anybody wants to beat them more than I do, put it that way."
Butcher is, at least, able to see the funny side occasionally.
"I don't have a Maradona doll at home with pins in it," he said with a laugh, "but that is a good idea, I might get one. I'll never get over it."
Guardian Service
