Dalma Maradona, daughter of late Argentine football icon Diego Maradona, has told a court that her father’s death could have been avoided if his doctors had done their jobs properly.
Speaking at a court in San Isidro, Buenos Aires, on Tuesday, Dalma said her family was misled about the care Maradona was supposed to receive after his brain surgery in 2020.
Maradona passed away on November 25, 2020, at age 60, while recovering at home after surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain. He had long struggled with addiction issues.
Seven members of his medical team are currently on trial, accused of negligence and failing to provide proper care. Prosecutors say Maradona was left to die in what they described as a “horror show” of medical treatment. The accused could face up to 25 years in prison if found guilty of “homicide with possible intent.”
An autopsy revealed that Maradona died of heart failure and acute pulmonary edema — a condition in which fluid builds up in the lungs.
Dalma Maradona, 38, testified that Dr. Leopoldo Luque, one of the defendants, told the family that home care was the only option available and promised around-the-clock medical attention and an ambulance on standby.
But according to her, those promises were not kept.
“There was no 24-hour care. A doctor would only visit occasionally,” she said. “They lied to us in the worst way.”
Dalma added that she was not allowed to see her father in the days leading up to his death, saying Maradona’s lawyer and an assistant blocked her from entering the house. After his death, she described the house as dirty and smelling of urine.
Prosecutors argue that the football legend was abandoned and left to suffer for a long time before he died.
The trial, which began after years of delay, is expected to run until July and will hear from nearly 120 witnesses.
