Diego Maradona retrial revisits medical failures blamed for soccer legend’s death
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A retrial over the death of Argentine soccer icon Diego Maradona began Tuesday in San Isidro, Argentina, nearly a year after the original proceedings collapsed in scandal.
Maradona, widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, died in November 2020 at the age of 60 from heart failure while recovering under home care after undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain. Seven members of Maradona’s medical team are once again facing charges of negligent homicide, accused of failing to provide adequate care in the final weeks of his life.
Prosecutors argue that his medical team was aware of the severity of his condition and failed to take the necessary measures to save him.
The new trial is presided over by a freshly appointed three-judge panel and is expected to hear testimony from around 100 witnesses. Hearings are scheduled twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with proceedings expected to run through July.
The seven defendants are neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, psychologist Carlos Díaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurses Ricardo Almirón and Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. All have denied wrongdoing.
The original trial, which began in March 2025 and lasted nearly three months, was annulled in May 2025 after Judge Julieta Makintach, one of three judges overseeing the case, was found to have allowed unauthorized filming inside the courtroom for a documentary.
If convicted, the defendants face prison sentences ranging from eight to 25 years.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Diego Maradona retrial begins after scandal derailed first case
