An Argentine court has declared a mistrial in the case against Diego Maradona’s medical team. The legendary soccer star died of heart failure in November 2020 at the age of 60. The key rationale for the decision is noted misconduct during trial proceedings that began earlier this year for seven defendants in March. Maradona’s medical staff faced accusations of “simple homicide” related to their treatment of the soccer legend, who underwent surgery for a subdural hematoma shortly before his death.
Maradona, widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players in history, famously led Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup, scoring a goal that remains etched in sports history. His tragic passing has in the years since raised serious questions about the medical treatment he received leading up to his last days. Eight medical staff members were accused of egregious misconduct in his care. If convicted, they each face prison sentences of eight to 25 years.
Dalma Maradona, one of Diego’s daughters, has made clear the family’s hope for moving forward with the legal process.
“The only thing we want is for the process to move forward,” – Dalma Maradona
After declaring the mistrial, a different court is assigned to the case and review the admissibility of evidence already brought forth. Legal expert Cosme Iribarren noted that this could lead to a whole new round of litigation. Here, both the prosecution and defense will probably reply with equal fervor.
“The new court will discuss the admissibility of the evidence, and a debate hearing will be set, where each party will have to redraw the accusation line, the defense lines and, from there, start these debates again,” – Cosme Iribarren
Fernando Burlando, the lawyer for Dalma and her sister Giannina Maradona, welcomed the ruling and said he was hopeful of speeding up the retrial proceedings. She thinks the parties have the information they need to lead everyone to a smart agreement. Now, they might be able to come to a decision by the end of this year.
“Given the great knowledge that all parties have of the case, we can do it in an express manner and we could have the trial for the death of Diego Armando Maradona, perhaps with a sentence before the end of the year,” – Fernando Burlando
It has outraged his family and captivated fans worldwide. The scandal of Maradona’s medical treatment is consuming his family and the world. As this case with such high stakes keeps unfolding, we hope it shines a light on these accountability and medical ethics issues that have long plagued sports.
