Court Expert Says Covid-19 Cannot Be Ruled Out in Maradona Death

Diego Maradona’s death trial has taken a significant turn after court expert Ferrari said Covid-19 could not be excluded as a possible cause of death. The Argentine football great died aged 60 at his Tigre home on November 25, 2020, with cardiac arrest recorded after he had undergone brain surgery earlier that month.

What changed for the case

Ferrari, a forensic doctor and paediatrician, appeared as the last witness during the San Isidro proceedings, where 76 witnesses have already given evidence. He criticised the lack of coronavirus testing during the post-mortem examination, which took place during the pandemic.

“We cannot rule out that he died of Covid,” Ferrari told the court. He said the virus could enter through the respiratory system, develop with exceptional speed and prove fatal within hours.

The expert also rejected earlier evidence that Maradona suffered for around 12 hours before his death. Ferrari’s assessment was that any period of agony would have lasted only minutes.

His evidence supports the position of Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s lead physician, whose defence has argued that a rapid build-up of fluid in the lungs triggered acute respiratory failure and then cardiac arrest.

Competition context

Maradona, one of football’s defining figures, had left hospital only two weeks before his death following successful surgery for a subdural haematoma. The medical care he received after that discharge is central to the prosecution.

Luque and six other medical professionals are charged with simple homicide with eventual intent:

• Psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov
• Nancy Forlini
• Carlos Diaz
• Mariano Perroni
• Ricardo Almiron
• Pedro Di Spagna

Ferrari is the only official court-appointed expert to advance the view that Maradona’s collapse may have been sudden rather than the result of a prolonged decline. That evidence gives the defence an important medical argument as the case approaches its final stage.

What is scheduled next

The trial is due to continue on September 29, when the defendants will have the opportunity to make fuller statements before the judges.

Closing submissions are scheduled to start on October 6. A ruling is expected before the end of that month once the court has completed its remaining procedural work.