Diego Maradona’s body to be ‘removed from graveyard’ as judge grants special permission for memorial
DIEGO MARADONA’s body is set to be moved – almost four years after his death.
The Argentinian legend will reportedly be exhumed and moved to a new public memorial in Buenos Aires.
Maradona died in 2020 after suffering a heart attack at his home.
He had left hospital just two weeks earlier following a bleed on the brain.
The 60-year-old was revered as one of the greatest football players of the 20th century.
Maradona was buried in the Jardin Bella Vista cemetery in Argentina’s capital.
His children have been attempting to create a dedicated mausoleum since 2021.
According to Spanish outlet Relevo, a judge finally ruled the move lawful on Tuesday.
It will see Maradona’s body transferred to a permanent memorial site in the city’s Puerto Madero neighbourhood.
His children claim it will be “a place of eternal rest where he can be visited and receive the recognition and love of the millions of people who express it daily through different means.”
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The shrine will be known as the Memorial del Diez or M10 Memorial, in honour of Maradona’s famous No. 10 shirt.
Thousands of fans lined the streets in Argentina and Italy following the icon’s death almost four years ago.
Maradona was a club legend at Napoli, where he won Serie A and the UEFA Cup in 1989.
A maverick forward, the unpredictable superstar was named alongside Pele as a joint winner in the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award.
Famed for his ‘Hand of God’ goal against England at the 1986 World Cup, he was known as El Pibe de Oro – the Golden Boy.
Maradona was survived by five children and ex-wife Claudia Villafane, who he divorced from in 2003.
A delayed trial brought by his daughters Giannina and Dalma will begin next March.
The pair claim Maradona’s medical team is culpable for his death.
The criminal case against eight doctors and nurses will focus on how they treated Maradona in his final hours.
They are accused of leaving the 60-year-old in agony as his condition worsened.
The eight medical staff, who include his psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, face 25 years in jail if convicted.