Diego Maradona's Death To Be Subject Of Culpable Homicide Trial With Eight Defendants

Eight medical personnel who cared for Diego Maradona before he died at the age of 60 will stand trial in Argentina accused of criminal negligence.

The former soccer star, who was named as the FIFA Player of the Century in 2000, died in Buenos Aires in November 2020 after a heart attack.

Maradona had been recovering at his home after having surgery on a blood clot on his brain earlier that month.

Shortly after Maradona's death, prosecutors launched an investigation into the care provided by his doctors and nurses.

Diego Maradona pictured in 2018 at the FIFA World Cup in Russia

IMAGO/Sven Simon

In 2021, a panel of 20 experts found that Maradona's medical team had acted in an "inappropriate, deficient and reckless manner".

It is said that Maradona's doctors "demanded" for him to be released from the hospital after his brain surgery because he wanted to return home.

But an inquest has ruled that Maradona "was not in full control of his mental faculties" and therefore "not in a condition to take decisions regarding his health and care."

The court ruled this week that Maradona "would have had a better chance of survival" with adequate treatment in an appropriate medical facility.

Maradona's personal doctor, Leopoldo Luque, is among the eight who will stand trial on a legal definition of homicide characterized by negligence committed in the knowledge that it may lead to a person’s death.

According to Argentina's penal code, such a crime can result in a jail term of eight to 25 years.

No date for the trial has yet been set but it is expected that it will begin in late 2023 or early 2024.