Grondona was rushed to the Sanatorio Mitre private medical centre in Buenos Aires suffering from cardiac failure and later died.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter wrote on Twitter: "I feel a great personal sense of loss, because he was a lifelong friend. But it is also a huge blow for FIFA as an organisation, as he was one of its key figures."

Grondona, President of the Argentina Football Association (AFA) since 1979, was a key ally of Blatter, becoming a member of the FIFA Executive Committee in 1988 while he also chaired the world governing body's Finance Committee.

In response to the news, all domestic football matches in Argentina have been postponed this coming weekend as a mark of respect, while a press conference at which Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella was due to confirm his departure has also been postponed until next week.

Grondona was in Rio de Janeiro earlier this month to witness Argentina's loss to Germany in the FIFA World Cup final which would have been the country's second triumph under his leadership following on from the Diego Maradonna inspired win in Mexico in 1986, while Argentina reached the final again at Italia 1990.

Grondona (centre) was a staunch ally of FIFA President Sepp Blatter ©AFP/Getty Images



Grondona appointed Maradonna as Argentina head coach in 2008 but dismissed him soon after the side's exit of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa at the hands of Germany in the round-of-16.

That led to an ongoing public feud between the two with Grondona describing Maradonna as a "jinx" during the tournament in Brazil to which the former captain responded by making an obscene gesture on live television.

He was also accused of not doing enough to stamp out fan violence in the domestic game in Argentina which has resulted in numerous deaths in recent years and forced the suspension of all league matches on a number of occasions.

Grondona's son, Humberto Mario was questioned by Brazilian police as part of its investigation into the ticket scam at the 2014 World Cup when a ticket with his name on it was found in possession of one of the gangs alleged to be involved in the fraud.

Argentina's current star player and captain Lionel Messi paid tribute to Grondona via his Facebook page writing: "It's a very sad day for football, for all of Argentina and for me. Our president, Julio Grondona, you have left us. I want to send my sincere condolences and a large hug to all his family members and friends."

Grondona was due to step down as President of the AFA next year.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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