Why did the immortal have to die? In Buenos Aires, Diego Maradona's doctors and nurses are on trial for negligent homicide.

Currently, dozens of fans wearing Maradona T-shirts and waving flags gather every weekday in front of the 3rd Criminal Court of San Isidro to loudly demand justice for their idol. The trial for the death of football legend Diego Armando Maradona has been taking place in the Buenos Aires suburb since March 11. Prosecutors accuse seven doctors and nurses of negligent homicide. They face prison sentences of between eight and 25 years.

In addition to Maradona's personal physician, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, psychologist Carlos Angel Díaz, doctor Pedro Di Spagna, doctor Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almirón, and his boss, Mariano Ariel Perroni, must answer for their charges. Nurse Dahiana Gisela Madrid had requested that her trial be held separately before a different jury.

The trial in San Isidro became emotional right from the start. Maradona's relatives, including his daughters, reacted with shock when prosecutor Patricio Ferrari presented the court with previously unseen images. They showed Maradona's body with a gigantically bloated stomach. The prosecutor promised that he would present evidence that the defendants had failed to fulfill their medical obligations. The 1986 World Cup winner had simply been left to his fate.

An initial examination following Maradona's death in November 2020 diagnosed a heart attack. An autopsy later revealed severe pulmonary edema resulting from chronic heart failure. Argentina's football hero, who had nimbly played half the English team dizzy on his way to scoring his goal of the century at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico , was a wreck by the end of his life. He suffered from depression and the effects of his decades-long alcohol, drug, and cocaine addiction. He was overweight and had high blood pressure, and could barely walk.

Maradona was reportedly already addicted to cocaine as a player for the Italian first division club SSC Napoli (1984 to 1991). Numerous stays in hospitals and health resorts did nothing to change this. While in rehab in Cuba, he instead spent his nights partying with cigars, alcohol, and female companions.

Maradona's mother died in 2011, followed by his father four years later. This left Maradona psychologically broken, his siblings reported after his death. During the coronavirus pandemic, Sunday family gatherings and barbecues with old friends were canceled. Photos from those days show Maradona alone in his garden. Recently, he is said to have been consuming alcohol and drugs uncontrollably. His face and body appeared increasingly puffy.

On October 30, 2020, his 60th birthday, he made his last public appearance. He was taken to the stadium of the club Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, which he had coached since 2019. It was the first game after the coronavirus lockdown, but spectators were not allowed. The star who once thrilled crowds said his goodbyes in front of an empty stadium. "That was no longer the Maradona I knew. He couldn't speak ten words in a row," his longtime friend Mariano Israelit later said of the bizarre performance.

On November 3, Maradona had to undergo emergency surgery for a blood clot in his skull. After his release from the hospital on November 11, he was taken to a rented house outside Buenos Aires. The images shown in court clearly demonstrate how unsuitable this was for the seriously ill man. Because Maradona could no longer climb the stairs to the bathroom, a shower was improvised in a small toilet using a hose. He had to relieve himself on a commode chair.

On the day of his death, the night watchman observed him breathing normally at 6:30 a.m. Nurse Madrid reported speaking to him at 9:20 a.m. He refused to be examined, so she let him sleep until psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov arrived around noon to administer medication. He was found without signs of life, and a half-hour of cardiopulmonary resuscitation was unsuccessful.

The nurse later retracted her statement. She claimed she hadn't entered Maradona's room that morning, but had lied on her boss's orders. Now the court must determine what actually happened that morning. 120 witnesses, including relatives, friends, and former doctors of the former footballer, as well as expert witnesses, are expected to testify about the behavior of the doctors and nursing staff.

Due to stories of drug excesses, alleged rapes, and illegitimate children, Maradona has long since lost the admiration of many Argentinians. Young people worship Lionel Messi instead . A young man commented on the crowd in San Isidro that he doesn't understand why so much fuss is being made about Maradona's death. After all, he destroyed himself. The verdicts are expected in July.