ON the football pitch, Diego Maradona was revered as a god, but in his final days the legendary footballer is alleged to have been treated more like an animal.This week Argentina has been gripped by the start of a five-month trial in which seven of the people tasked with caring for the man who led the country to the 1986 World Cup are accused of his homicide with possible intent.Seven people tasked with caring for Diego Maradona are accused of his homicide with possible intent, the legend in coaching role in 2019Credit: GettyMaradona’s cheat goal against England in the quarter-final of 1986 World Cup in MexicoCredit: GettyFans crowd the hearse as Maradona’s body is taken to the cemetery in 2020Credit: AFPDoctor Leopoldo Luque, centre, wrote ‘the fat man’s going to end up kicking the bucket’ in vile WhatsApp messagesCredit: AFPMaradona died aged 60 from heart disease at his rented home in Tigre, near Buenos Aires, on November 25, 2020, two weeks after undergoing brain surgery.The prosecution claims that the team paid to look after him were criminally negligent.In heated scenes, Maradona’s former lover, Veronica Ojeda, was heard shouting “daughter of a bitch” at one of the accused as the hearing got under way on Tuesday.Outside the court in San Isidro, north of Argentina’s capital, a fan held up a placard with the message “Justice for D10S” — a nickname mixing Maradona’s shirt number and the Spanish word for God.READ MORE ON MARADONA‘Kicking the bucket’Others had tears in their eyes as they chanted his name.There have been claims that Maradona drank beer in the morning and was given sleeping pills dissolved in his booze at night while he was under the accused’s medical care.WhatsApp messages were uncovered in which his neurologist, Leopoldo Luque, wrote “the fat man’s going to end up kicking the bucket”.And it is alleged Maradona was washed down with a hosepipe rather than being helped to the shower.Most read in FootballThe former Barcelona and Napoli player has been adored in the South American nation since his moments of individual brilliance — and his infamous handball “hand of God goal” against England — saw them lift the World Cup in Mexico in 1986.Considerable amounts of his fortune, once estimated at £75million, were blown on addictions to alcohol and cocaine, which contributed to his terrible state of health.Diego Maradona’s daughter fights back tears as she says family live in fear of mafia ahead of trial into his death At the time of his death his heart weighed 503 grams, which was almost double what it should have been.But the prosecution case is that with the right medical care, Maradona would have survived.Chief prosecutor Patricio Ferrari told the court: “You will see during this trial what reckless home care is — reckless, deficient, without precedent, without any type of control during the period that ended with Diego’s death. “In that house of horror where Diego Maradona died, no one did what they had to do.”The problems began for Maradona when he was feted in the southern Italian city of Naples for twice taking their once-lowly side to historic league titles in 1987 and 1990.The Mafia, dominant in the region, kept him supplied with drugs and prostitutes, yet he still somehow managed to play at the top level.Two years before his death, the star told British documentary maker Asif Kapadia of his time there: “Sunday to Wednesday I was partying on cocaine. I would come home high on drugs.”In that house of horror where Diego Maradona died no one did what they had to doChief prosecutor Patricio Ferrari In 1991, traces of cocaine were found in Maradona’s urine sample and a couple of weeks later 1.5g of the same drug was found by police at his flat in Buenos Aires.Maradona’s ex, Veronica Ojeda, demands justice outside trialCredit: GettyA fan holds up a placard with the message ‘Justice for D10S’ — a nickname mixing Maradona’s shirt number and the Spanish word for GodCredit: AFPMaradona’s daughters Dalma and Gianinna arrive for trialCredit: GettyLater, he was sent home from the 1994 World Cup in the United States after testing positive for a stimulant called ephedrine.His attempts to get clean were always short-lived, with hangers-on often willing to get him whatever substances he desired.He also had a voracious appetite for alcohol, food and young women.In 2005, the 5ft 5in Maradona weighed nearly 20st and underwent a gastric band operation.Emergency surgeryThe star had eight children by various mothers that are known of, but since his death at least three other people have come forward claiming to be his offspring.It was not until 2007 that he recognised Diego Jnr as his son. He had been born in 1986 to a mistress.There were a number of health scares over the years, including being treated by doctors at half-time when he was watching Argentina play at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.The most serious was on November 3, 2020, when he underwent emergency surgery at La Plata hospital in Buenos Aires for a blood clot on his brain.His personal doctor, neurosurgeon Luque, performed what appeared to be a successful operation.But there was a question over whether the patient would be better off staying in hospital, where there would be swift access to emergency care, or if he should instead recover in a home setting.Luque, who is one of the seven accused, agreed to take Maradona to the legend’s rented residence in Tigre on November 11.If he got up at 9am and asked for beer he was given itGriselda Morel, an educational psychologist Prosecutor Ferrari told the court: “Clearly, the victim was not in full use of his mental faculties and even less could decide on his own about his health.”He entered that place for a clinical rehabilitation and home medical care that we can say without any doubt was calamitous.”The prosecution alleges that there was no defibrillator on hand to help restart Maradona’s heart if he went into a cardiac arrest and that the medical team did not carry out the necessary checks.Prior to the start of the trial, Griselda Morel, an educational psychologist who worked with Maradona’s eight-year-old son and visited his home, claimed that the sick star was given alcohol.She alleged: “If he got up at 9am and asked for beer he was given it.“One of his custodians crushed tablets he was taking and put them in his beer so he didn’t cause a fuss at night.” Griselda said that Maradona was so confused he would speak on an imaginary phone.The other six accused are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, addiction specialist Carlos Diaz, doctor Nancy Forlini, nursing co-ordinator Mariano Perroni, nurse Ricardo Almiron and clinical physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna.Heart in formaldehydeAnother nurse, Gisela Dahiana Madrid, has asked to be tried separately.Gisela’s lawyer, Rodolfo Baque, has claimed that when the nurse warned that Maradona’s heartbeat reached a high 115 beats per minute in the days before his death, “nothing” was done about it.When the former footballer was found unconscious at around 12.30 in the afternoon on November 25, 2020, the medical team spent 45 minutes trying to revive him. But experts believe he died between 4am and 6am, which suggests no one checked on the patient for at least six and a half hours.Post-mortem blood and urine tests revealed Maradona had been given a cocktail of prescription drugs including Quetiapine, Venlafaxine and Levetiracetam which are used to treat depression, panic attacks and epilepsy among other conditions.Fernando Burlando, the lawyer representing Maradona’s daughters Dalma and Gianinna, said outside court that the player had been treated like an animal and went as far as to call it “murder.”The accused are on trial for homicide with possible intent, which could result in 25-year prison sentences. They all deny the charges.Luque said: “The death occurred unexpectedly, suddenly, during sleeping hours, without offering us any time.”The complex medical trial will last until July and see around 100 witnesses give evidence.The final verdict will be delivered by three judges.One of the key pieces of evidence will be Maradona’s heart, which has been kept in formaldehyde at a police laboratory ever since his death.One of the key pieces of evidence will be Maradona’s heart, which has been kept in formaldehyde at a police laboratory.READ MORE SUN STORIESThere have been claims that fans had plotted to steal the organ. And during the 2022 World Cup, Argentinian fans campaigned to have the heart flown to host nation Qatar along with the country’s football team.Why the heart finally failed Maradona — a lion on the football pitch — is sure to inspire a passionate response from devoted fans whatever the court decides.Model of Maradona in a model house shown to courtCredit: Getty More
