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(25 Jan 2000) Spanish/Nat
Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona said on Monday that the U-S refusal to give him visas led him to chose treatment in Cuba for cocaine dependency.
He arrived in Cuba on the 18th of January to undergo treatment for drug addiction and related health problems while staying at a medical-oriented hotel on the outskirts of Havana.
Maradona, who has dyed his dark hair a light shade of orange while in Cuba, is accompanied by a large entourage of friends, family and trainers.
Maradona says he's convinced he's better off in Cuba, rather than facing the "hostility of American officials."
It was unclear how long Maradona would be in rehabilitation.
Maradona has had troubles obtaining a visa to travel to the United States since testing positive for stimulants during the 1994 World Cup.
SOUNDBITE (Spanish)
"Because the U-S did not give me a visa, the bosses did not give me a visa. But they did not give the visa on account of the peoples wishes, but because the bosses do that sort of thing all the time. But, I am really very happy, and convinced that I will be much better in Cuba than in the middle of the hostility of the American bosses."
SUPER CAPTION: Diego Armando Maradona, Argentine Soccer Star
U-S State Department officials earlier said they were not aware of any visa application by Maradona prior to his medical trip.
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