Death already came in 2020. But the trial to uncover the truth is not over yet. The legal battle surrounding Diego Maradona has resumed.
The British tabloid The Sun reported on the 16th (Korean time) that during the retrial of Maradona's death, prosecutors attacked the defendants as "amateurs who ignored warning signs several times."
This retrial reopened at the San Isidro court near Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the 14th. Maradona died of cardiac arrest at his home while recovering after a thrombectomy on Nov. 25, 2020.
Prosecutors do not view his death as a simple tragedy. They regard it as the result of seven medical staff members—psychiatrist, neurosurgeon, psychologist, nurse, internist and others—not taking appropriate measures. They were indicted for negligent homicide and, if convicted, could face sentences of eight to 25 years. An eighth nurse faces a separate trial.
The reason this trial is receiving more attention is that it is effectively a trial starting over from the beginning. The original trial began in March 2025 but collapsed after two months.
Controversy over violation of judicial procedure erupted when it emerged that presiding judge Julieta Macintach improperly participated in a documentary related to the case, and the trial was ultimately annulled. This retrial is the second full hearing reconvened after that confusion. Nearly 100 witnesses alone are expected to testify in court. Maradona's family will appear again.
The prosecutors' view is clear. They argue Maradona did not die only of illness but collapsed amid neglect. Prosecutors labeled the house where he was recovering a "scene of horror."
They contend there was no proper medical equipment or monitoring system, and emergency response was effectively nonexistent. A 2021 medical committee investigation reached a similar conclusion. It found Maradona was left to suffer without proper treatment for more than 12 hours before his death and judged the medical staff's response to be "inadequate and reckless."
What prosecutors press more forcefully is the possibility that "he could have been saved." It is not simply that his condition was poor, but that warning signs were clear and no one acted responsibly.
According to local Argentine and international media, prosecutors view Maradona's final days as the result of overlapping omissions and neglect. They say treatment rules were violated and basic patient care was below standard. From this point came the expression "amateur group." Medical staff who should have protected the football god were criticized for consistently responding in the least professional way.
By contrast, the defense team advances a completely different argument. They say Maradona had long suffered complex health deterioration from alcoholism and drug problems, cardiovascular disease and liver damage, and that his death was an inevitable natural outcome.
In fact, Maradona was known to have suffered severe illnesses such as dilated cardiomyopathy, cirrhosis and myocarditis during his life. The defense counters that it is excessive to place all responsibility on the medical staff.
Ultimately, the core of this retrial is one question: was Maradona's death an unavoidable collapse, or the result of someone's clear negligence?
[Photo] ⓒGettyimages(unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited), The Sun capture.
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