A retrial into the death of football legend Diego Maradona has commenced. The Argentinian died aged 60 after suffering heart failure.
Maradona’s medical team faces accusations of failing to administer proper medical care. Seven individuals are charged with negligible homicide, and they have denied the allegations. A conviction could lead to imprisonment for eight to 25 years.
First Trial Collapsed
The initial trial collapsed last May. This was due to the resignation of one of the three judges, following allegations of allowing unauthorised filming in court for a documentary.
Maradona passed away in 2020 at his home in Tigre, Buenos Aires province. He was recuperating from surgery to remove a brain blood clot at the time.
Investigators have classified the case as culpable homicide, similar to involuntary manslaughter. Their reasoning is that the accused were aware of the seriousness of Maradona’s health condition but did not take the necessary measures to save him.
The preliminary autopsy confirmed that heart failure caused him to suffer acute pulmonary oedema, when fluid builds up in the lungs.
Expert Medical Opinion
A panel of medical experts investigated Maradona’s medical team at the request of prosecutors. They concluded that the treatment he received at his home was “deficient and reckless”.
The panel stated that the footballer “would have had a better chance of survival” with adequate treatment in an appropriate medical facility.
Those on Trial
The seven people on trial include Leopoldo Luque, his main medical adviser, and Agustina Cosachov, his psychiatrist. Dahiana Gisela Madrid, his former nurse, will stand in a separate trial.
Around 100 people are expected to testify in front of a new set of judges at a court in San Isidro, including Maradona’s daughters. The trial is expected to last until July.
Maradona’s Career and Legacy
- Maradona started his career with Argentinos Juniors.
- He went on to represent Argentina in four World Cups, scoring 34 goals, including the infamous “Hand of God” goal against England in 1986.
- He retired from professional football in 1997, on his 37th birthday, during his second stint at Argentine giants Boca Juniors.
During the second half of his career, he struggled with cocaine addiction. He was banned for 15 months after testing positive for the drug in 1991.
Maradona was appointed head coach of the national team in 2008 and left after the 2010 World Cup, where his side were beaten by Germany in the quarter-finals.
He subsequently managed teams in the United Arab Emirates and Mexico and was in charge of Argentinian club Gimnasia y Esgrima at the time of his death.
When the footballer died on 25 November 2020, then President of Argentina Alberto Fernandez declared three days of national mourning.