San Isidro (Argentina) (AFP) – Diego Maradona’s former manager said this Thursday at his death trial that the football star would never have agreed to be in the house where he was ordered to carry out the home confinement that ended with his death in 2020.
First modification: 07/03/2026 – 02:12Last modified: 07/03/2026 – 14:41
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Lawyer Matias Morla, one of the people closest to the former Argentine footballer, assured in his testimony that if Maradona had been healthy, “he would not have spent 30 seconds” in the house in the town of Tigre in the north of Buenos Aires, where he was recovering from neurosurgery.
He remained there until he died of pulmonary edema and cardiovascular arrest on November 25, 2020.
The process taking place in the city of San Ysidro evaluates the relevance and conditions of home confinement, as well as the responsibility of the medical team responsible for his care.
Like other witnesses before him, Morla noted that the room in which Maradona stayed “was furnished very precariously” and that the house “had neither equipment nor an ambulance” in case of an emergency.
While Maradona was alive, Morla ran the business and hired employees to service the former footballer. However, he assured that this will not affect house arrest in any way.
Jana Maradona, daughter of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, leaves court after a hearing in the death of her father in San Isidro, Buenos Aires province, Argentina, July 2, 2026 © Luis ROBAYO / AFP
“We all trusted (private healthcare company) Swiss Medical, I’m not a doctor,” he said.
The lawyer was one of the few witnesses who spoke well of neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luca, Maradona’s trusted doctor and the main accused in his death.
“Diego loved Luque, he had enormous confidence in him,” he said.
Morla’s presence in court has raised expectations for a trial in which he faces the children of “Diez” in a parallel case over the use of the “Diego Maradona” brand.
In this case, Morla, Maradona’s two sisters and three others will face trial for “fraudulent administration.”
Earlier, Maradona’s nephew and assistant Jonathan Esposito said that he was one of the first to find the former football player dead in his bed.
“He was swollen, with his tongue hanging out and his body cold,” he recalled.
Jonathan Esposito, nephew of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, leaves court after a hearing in the death of his uncle in San Isidro, Buenos Aires province, Argentina, July 2, 2026 © Luis ROBAYO / AFP
Luka and six other medical workers are charged with murder with possible malice. This figure implies that they were aware that their actions or inactions could lead to the death of the former footballer. Everyone protests their innocence.
The accused – nurses, doctors and a psychologist – face 25 years in prison. An eighth defendant, a nurse, will be tried in a separate trial.
© 2026 AFP