Seven healthcare professionals have been on trial since mid-April in Argentina, accused of possible negligence related to the death of football legend Diego Maradona in 2020.

According to testimony from Nicolas Taffarel, Maradona's masseur, the Argentine icon was bedridden and suffering from excess body fluid in his final days. Taffarel described how Maradona “wouldn’t get out of bed, he didn’t want to eat, he didn’t want to wash, he didn’t want to look after his personal hygiene.”

On November 24, 2020, the day before Maradona’s death, Taffarel recounted trying unsuccessfully to persuade him to drink mate, a traditional herbal drink. Maradona reportedly told him, “I don’t want anything, Taffita, that’s it,” using the phrase “ya esta,” which can mean either “it’s all right” or “it’s over.”

Maradona died alone in bed the following day at age 60 from heart failure and acute pulmonary oedema, a condition involving fluid accumulation in the lungs, two weeks after undergoing surgery.

The trial continues to examine the circumstances surrounding his death.

Sources

Al Jazeera