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Jun 16, 20261
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Doctor Testifies He Was Blocked From Visiting Maradona Days Before His Death
Doctor Pedro Di Spagna testified that he was prevented from visiting Diego Maradona in mid-November 2020, days before the football legend's death from cardiac insufficiency. Home care coordinator Nancy Forlini blocked his visits on the direction of psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, claiming the primary physicians wanted Maradona to rest before his eventual death on November 25.
Quick Facts
Who
Pedro Di Spagna
What
Doctor testified about being blocked from visiting Maradona
When
November 18, 2020
Where
Buenos Aires
- Doctor testified about being blocked from visiting Maradona
- Forlini prevented Di Spagna from examining Maradona
- Court heard WhatsApp audio recording
- Trial investigating circumstances of Maradona's death
- Maradona's daughters attempted to convince him to accept medical care
A clinician doctor testified in Buenos Aires on Tuesday that he was prevented from visiting Diego Maradona in the days before the Argentine football legend's death on November 25, 2020. Pedro Di Spagna, who is among those charged in connection with Maradona's death, told the court that Nancy Forlini, a home care coordinator for the private company Swiss Medical and also a defendant, refused to allow him to examine the former footballer at the direction of psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, another accused party.
Di Spagna explained that on November 19, when he attempted to visit the home on the outskirts of Buenos Aires where Maradona was receiving in-home care, he received a message from Forlini instructing him not to come based on Cosachov's recommendation. Forlini told him that the primary treating physicians had decided to suspend visits to allow Maradona to rest and reschedule them for the following week. The court heard a WhatsApp audio recording in which Forlini stated: "I just spoke with the psychiatrist, she says she prefers how he is — this is not a family decision, but a decision of the treating physicians — let him rest this whole weekend, with not too many people."
Di Spagna also recounted that on November 18, he could not review Maradona together with a nutritionist and remained in an adjacent garden by order of the patient himself. He noted that two of Maradona's daughters, Gianinna and Jana, were attempting to persuade their father to accept medical care.
Maradona died at age 60 from cardiac insufficiency while under home care for recovery from surgery two weeks earlier to remove a subdural hematoma. According to testimony during the trial, the residence lacked adequate medical equipment, did not have a prepared ambulance for emergency hospital transfer, and had inadequate sanitary conditions in the room where Maradona was confined. Other defendants in the case include neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Díaz, nursing company representative Mariano Perroni, and nurse Ricardo Almirón.
Why This Matters
This testimony is critical to the ongoing trial investigating potential negligence and misconduct in Maradona's death. It raises questions about whether restricted medical access and poor care conditions contributed to the football icon's fatal cardiac event, with significant implications for accountability in home healthcare provision and the responsibilities of medical professionals in end-of-life care.