Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2009/10/13/maradona_defacement/

Maradona's website hacked after last-gasp Argentina victory

Peruvian miscreants leave him crying in the rain

By John Leyden

Posted in Security, 13th October 2009 10:53 GMT

Peruvian hackers have reacted to the country's dramatic defeat to Argentina on Saturday by defacing the site of Argentinian manager Diego Maradona and dubbing him a cry-baby.

A picture of a tearful Maradona was pasted on the website, alongside the message "Te Hicimos Llorar" (We made you cry). Maradona is pictured in tears and wearing a Boca Juniors top, whereas on the night he was wearing a suit. But such was the torrential downpour during the latter stages of the game, it would be difficult to tell if someone was crying or not.

The defacement goes on to add: "For the biggest cry baby of all time - you won over us at football, but we won on the internet", above a picture of the Peruvian national team. The defacement, captured by net security firm Sophos here, is claimed in the name of Elite-Peruvian.

Peru equalized against Argentina in the last minute of normal time, only for Argentina to score an injury time 2-1 winner in Saturday's game in Buenos Aires.

The result leaves Argentina in fourth place in the South American qualifying group. They will be guaranteed of a berth in South Africa next year, providing they defeat fifth place Uruguay in the final qualification game on Wednesday (14 October). A draw will almost certainly be enough, but defeat in the Montevideo showdown will result in either elimination or a play-off.

Last placed Peru have stood no chance of qualification for months.

World Cup qualification games between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969 infamously acted as a lightning rod for wider tensions between the two neighbours over issues such as immigration, and led to a four-day war (known as La guerra del fútbol). Forty years on we get a website defacement, which counts as progress of sorts, we suppose.

Maradona famously knocked England out of the 1986 FIFA World Cup with the infamous "Hand of God" goal. This was followed by an outstanding solo dribble and goal that showcased his extraordinary talent as an attacking midfielder.

"The message for Maradona [from the hack] is clear," said Graham Cluley, a security consultant at Sophos. "Don't leave your web security to the Hand of God - secure your systems and follow best practices instead to keep hackers locked out." ®