Prosecutors say Diego Maradona began dying 12 hours before his death. A re‑started trial in Buenos Aires opened Tuesday over the football legend's 2020 passing.

Resumed case and fresh accusations

The trial of seven healthcare workers accused in Diego Maradona's death resumed this week in San Isidro, a suburb north of Buenos Aires. The new proceedings follow the annulment of an earlier trial after a presiding judge stepped down over participation in a documentary. Patricio Ferrari, the prosecutor leading the case, told the court that the team caring for Maradona were a "bunch of amateurs" who made "all kinds of omissions," and that those errors produced what he called "cruel" conditions for the former player.

Look, the prosecutor's language was blunt.

What the prosecution says happened

Ferrari told the court his team’s timeline showed Maradona started to deteriorate well before the moment he died. "Diego Maradona began to die 12 hours before his actual death," Ferrari said, and he argued that moving Maradona to a clinic during the final week would have saved him. The prosecution is charging the seven defendants with homicide with possible intent for pursuing a course of action that they say knowingly could lead to death.

The accused include doctors, psychologists and nurses who looked after Maradona during his home convalescence after surgery for a brain clot in November 2020.

Family presence and public response

Maradona's daughters Dalma, Gianinna and Jana were in the packed courtroom for the opening. Veronica Ojeda, his former partner, also attended and told reporters she trusts the judiciary to obtain "justice for Diego." Fernando Burlando, the lawyer for Dalma and Gianinna Maradona, made a pointed gesture in court when he displayed a stethoscope as a symbol of the medical care his clients say was negligent.

Outside, about 50 people carried Argentine flags and signs demanding accountability for "D10s," a play on Maradona's No. 10 jersey and the Spanish word for God, "Dios." The demonstration showd the public profile of the case and the emotional stakes for many Argentines.

Legal stakes and trial timetable

The prosecution plans to call about 120 witnesses, and the hearings should last until at least July. If convicted, the defendants face prison terms ranging from eight to 25 years. The charges focus heavily on the decision by the medical group to allow Maradona to recover at home rather than in a hospital setting after the brain surgery.

But this trial isn’t just about individual actions. It will also show how Argentina’s courts handle medical negligence claims involving a world-famous figure, and if the legal system can reach a clear verdict in such a sensitive case.

Medical timeline and cause of death

Maradona died aged 60 in November 2020, about two weeks after he had surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain. The official medical cause listed for his death was heart failure and acute pulmonary edema, a condition where fluid builds up in the lungs. Prosecutors argue the fatal event was preventable and that earlier intervention — including transfer to hospital — would have altered the outcome.

The defence for the accused has maintained that they acted within the limits of their roles and the circumstances at the time. In the earlier, annulled hearings, defence lawyers sought to challenge the prosecution’s interpretation of the sequence of events and the medical decisions made during Maradona's convalescence at home.

Questions about the judiciary and trial integrity

The earlier trial was annulled after revelations that a presiding judge had featured in a clandestine documentary about the case.

That development forced a restart and raised concerns about judicial conduct and impartiality. The restart also means witnesses will have to reappear and evidence will be heard again in public, prolonging what has already been a lengthy legal process since Maradona’s death.

The prosecution says the restart won't change the core allegations. Ferrari emphasized to the court that the alleged failures by the medical team amounted to gross negligence. The judge's participation in the documentary remains a factor that critics say undermined confidence in the original proceedings.

Maradona’s life, health history and public role

Diego Maradona remains a towering figure in global football history. He captained Argentina to the 1986 World Cup and starred for clubs such as Boca Juniors and Napoli. The source material presented in court notes Maradona’s long history of substance abuse, including cocaine and alcohol, and prosecutors have cited that medical background when discussing his fragility in the months before his death.

Maradona’s fame and personal health struggles have complicated both the medical care he received and the public conversation around it. This complexity lies at the heart of the trial: it’s not just about medical choices, but how caregivers handle risks for a famous patient with a complicated health background.

Broader significance and unanswered questions

This trial’s outcome might set a legal precedent in Argentina on holding medical teams accountable when a famous patient dies under their care. The case will also test courtroom procedures after the earlier annulment, and it will demand detailed medical testimony about the chain of events in the days and hours before Maradona’s collapse.

Prosecutors plan to present a detailed reconstruction of his final 24 hours, while defence lawyers will press counterarguments about the limits of their clients' authority and the medical complexities of treating a patient like Maradona. The trial’s length and the planned roster of roughly 120 witnesses suggest a deep dive into both clinical decisions and the wider chain of command that governed his home care.

Public attention, family pressure and the legal stakes mean the proceedings will remain high profile across Argentina as hearings continue into the northern hemisphere summer.

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"Diego Maradona began to die 12 hours before his actual death," said Patricio Ferrari, the prosecutor leading the case.