BUENOS AIRES: Prosecutors investigating the 2020 death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona have asked that the medical staff who treated him be tried for negligent homicide.
In their request Wednesday, the prosecutors said “omissions” and mismanagement by eight medical professionals in charge of Maradona placed him in a “situation of helplessness” and abandoned him “to his fate” during his home hospitalization, according to the court filing cited by the official Telam news agency.
Maradona died at age 50 in 2020 while recovering from brain surgery for a blood clot, and after decades of battles with cocaine and alcohol addictions.
Neurosurgeon and family doctor Leopoldo Luque and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov are under investigation over his death as the main people responsible for the health of the former football star.
Six others, including psychologist Carlos Diaz and medical coordinator Nancy Forlini, are also accused.
The prosecution accuses them of “simple homicide with dolus eventualis,” an offense in which a person is negligent while knowing their negligence can cause someone’s death.
They could face sentences ranging from eight to 25 years in prison.
According to the prosecutors, the defendants “were the protagonists of an unprecedented, totally deficient and reckless hospitalization at home,” and allegedly committed a “series of improvizations, mismanagement and shortcomings.”
The defense must now present its arguments and may ask for the case to be dismissed.
Maradona is widely considered one of the greatest footballers in history and led Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup.
Prosecutors call for Diego Maradona medical staff to face trial
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Prosecutors call for Diego Maradona medical staff to face trial
- Football legend died at age 50 in 2020 while recovering from brain surgery for a blood clot
First female Japanese trainer targets the Saudi Cup
- Kyoko Maekawa to run Sunrise Zipangu in Riyadh on Saturday Feb. 14
RIYADH: Kyoko Maekawa broke new ground last year when she became the first female to hold a training license in Japan, and just 12 months later she is eyeing the world’s richest race with Sunrise Zipangu (JPN) in the group one $20 million Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Feb. 14.
The Japan Racing Association added her to the training ranks in March of 2025. And the former assistant to dual Saudi Cup-winning trainer Yoshito Yahgai made an immediate impact by landing a first win in her new role when Sunrise Ares (JPN) hit the target at Kochi on the 18th of that month.
Sunrise Zipangu has had only two starts for his new trainer. Last seen beaten by only two lengths over 2,500 meters on turf in the Arima Kinen, the 5-year-old will switch surfaces and drop to 1,800 meters for his first run outside Japan.
“Sunrise Zipangu has mainly been racing on turf recently, but he has the speed to perform well on dirt. I think that type of horse suits Saudi Arabia, and he also prefers racing anti-clockwise,” said Maekawa in a recent press release.
“The Saudi Cup was my first international race meeting with Yahagi two years ago, and I was deeply impressed by the hospitality — there was nothing to complain about. It is a wonderful country to be in, and it is a great honor to represent Japan at such an event.”
Having ridden dressage horses while at university, the 48-year-old then worked part-time at the Miho Training Centre, one of the two JRA training centers, which was her first real introduction to the horseracing industry.
“Training was always an option in my mind, but I didn’t take the trainer’s exam for nearly 15 years,” she said.
“I met Hanako Varian (wife of UK trainer Roger) in Newmarket, and she said to me, ‘Why don’t you try? Don’t overthink it.’ One of the barriers for me was the level of risk and responsibility trainers carry, especially toward their staff members.
“I am often asked if it is tough, but to be honest, I have received a great deal of support from many people. I have also gained much more media attention, which is essentially free advertising.
“That said, I still need to attract good owners and good horses for the sake of my staff. I must work hard on that, as I am not naturally a strong salesperson.”
Reflecting on her experience with the colorful Yahagi, who also landed the Saudi Cup with Panthalassa (JPN) in 2023, she said: “It was a very full and meaningful time.
“I traveled abroad nine times across six different countries, including Saudi Arabia. It was a precious experience for me to attend international race meetings and sales.
“Of course, my domestic experience with Yahagi Stable was also extremely valuable, but opportunities for that level of international travel are rare. I was also fascinated by how Yahagi Stable sometimes decides which race to enter at the last minute, after carefully studying the fields and form to give their horses the best possible chance.
“I race my horses quite frequently, probably more than most rookie trainers, which is something I learned directly from Yahagi.”
Like Sunrise Ares, Sunrise Zipangu races in the colors of Life House Co. Ltd. And it would be fitting should the owners who provide Maekawa with a first success were also behind the biggest of all should she strike in The Saudi Cup.
