SANTIAGO, Chile — Former Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona confirmed Friday that he will not attend the World Cup after failing to obtain a Japanese visa because of a drug offense.

        “It was useless. We submitted all kind of papers, but to no avail,” he said in an interview on Chilean television. “They didn't pay any attention to me.”

        Japanese law forbids entry into the country by any foreigner with a history of drug-related offenses.

        After he tested positive for cocaine in 1991 while playing for Napoli in Italy, Maradona was arrested in Buenos Aires and charged with cocaine possession and distribution.

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