Diego Maradona was in “agony” in the hours before his death, a court has heard.
The 1986 World Cup winner, one of football’s greatest-ever players, died in a house outside Buenos Aires in November 2020 following a cardiac arrest.
He was 60.
Seven healthcare professionals, including a neurosurgeon, a psychiatrist and medical staffers, have gone on trial for manslaughter after being accused of failing to provide Maradona with adequate medical care.
One of the experts who performed a post-mortem examination on Maradona spoke in front of the court on Thursday.
He said the Argentinian suffered agony for at least 12 hours before death and added “any doctor” should have noticed his symptoms days earlier.
Carlos Cassinelli, director of forensic medicine at the Scientific Police Superintendency, on Thursday provided details of the post-mortem performed on the day of Maradona’s death.
“The heart was completely covered in fat and blood clots, which indicate agony,” he said.
Mr Cassinelli added: “This is a patient who had been collecting water over the days; that’s not acute.
“This was something that was foreseeable.
“Any doctor examining a patient would find this.”
The post-mortem concluded that Maradona died from acute pulmonary edema secondary to congestive heart failure.
The trial could last up to four months, with three hearings held a week.
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If found guilty, the defendants, who all deny the allegations against them, could be jailed for 25 years.
Among the accused are Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s personal physician for the last four years of his life, and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, who prescribed medication that Maradona took until the time of his death.
Along with them, psychologist Carlos Diaz, coordinator of the medical company hired to care for him during his hospitalisation, Nancy Forlini, representative of the company that rendered nursing service, Mariano Perroni, Dr Pedro Di Spagna, who monitored his treatment, and nurse Ricardo Almiron are also standing trial.
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Gisela Madrid, a nurse who was also indicted, will be tried by a jury later this year.
