Medical staff to be tried for Maradona death

Maradona's coffin is carried by his family and friends after his death in November 2020

Diego Maradona (C during the 1986 World Cup) is widely considered one of the greatest footballers in history

Eight medical personnel will stand trial for alleged criminal negligence in the death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, according to a court ruling made public on Wednesday.

No date has been set for the trial of the staff over Maradona's death in 2020, which prosecutors say was due to "omissions" by his caregivers who abandoned him "to his fate" during home hospitalization.

He was found dead in bed two weeks after going under the knife, in a rented house in an exclusive Buenos Aires neighborhood to where he was brought after being discharged from hospital.

A panel of 20 medical experts convened by Argentina's public prosecutor concluded last year that Maradona's treatment was rife with "deficiencies and irregularities."

The experts found his caregivers had abandoned the idolized player to his fate for a "prolonged, agonizing period" leading up to his death.

Charged in the case are neurosurgeon and family doctor Leopoldo Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, psychologist Carlos Diaz, medical coordinator Nancy Forlini and four others including two nurses.

They risk sentences ranging from eight to 25 years in prison. All have denied responsibility.

Maradona is widely considered one of the greatest footballers in history.

He became an idol to millions of Argentines after he inspired the South American country to only their second World Cup triumph in 1986.

His death shocked fans around the world, and tens of thousands queued to file past his coffin, draped in the Argentine flag, at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires amid three days of national mourning.

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