After four years of waiting, the trial of Diego Maradona’s medical team finally began on Tuesday, four years after the Argentine football icon’s death in 2020. Seven medical workers, including his former brain surgeon, psychiatrist and nurses, are charged with homicide by negligence in a case that has transfixed Argentina. An eighth defendant is to be tried separately in July.
Maradona, who guided Argentina to World Cup victory in 1986, died aged 60 from heart failure while recovering from brain surgery. His medical care was “reckless and deficient,” prosecutors say, describing his home as a “theater of horror.” They say that the accused knew Maradona was unwell but acted inappropriately. If found guilty, they face terms of between eight and 25 years.
Defense attorneys maintain that Maradona’s death resulted from an unpredictable cardiovascular incident and said there was no criminal culpability. The trial is expected to take months, and more than 100 witnesses are expected to testify, including family members and medical professionals. “Justice for D10S,” fans demanded outside the court in Buenos Aires, as Argentina still looks for answers about the passing of one of sport’s most beloved icons.
