The troubled trial of the medical team that oversaw the treatment of the late Argentine football legend Diego Maradona was, at many stages, stormy and full of upheavals, just like the life of the man wearing shirt number 10. The judicial proceedings have been ongoing since April, regarding accusations that the negligence of seven medical professionals contributed to the death of the Argentine star in 2020. The football player with the commanding presence died from heart failure and acute pulmonary edema, a condition where fluid accumulates in the lungs, two weeks after undergoing surgery. The trial was supposed to end in August, but after nearly 70 witness and defendant testimonies and more than 25 sessions, it remains uncertain when this legal drama will conclude.

The defendants, who insist that Maradona died of natural causes, have spent months inside the courtroom alongside the daughters of the former Napoli player, who are still suffering from the impact of the tragedy.

Judge Julieta Makintash is one of three judges overseeing the case of Diego Armando Maradona's death, and she may face potential removal due to her alleged involvement in a documentary about the trial (AFP).

As the proceedings enter an additional month, the French press reviews the key moments in this case, which has often been dramatic. Leopoldo Luque, Maradona's personal physician and the main defendant in the case - as he was seen by many as the direct responsible at the time - adopted a very meticulous defense strategy. He attended all sessions without exception, and would ask to speak every time he felt that a testimony hinted at his responsibility. The doctor has so far recorded nine interventions, during which he presented audio recordings, scientific research, and pointed out what he considered contradictions in the testimonies. On one occasion, he gave instructions to his lawyer on how to connect an HDMI cable to show Maradona's autopsy. Luque's team succeeded in showing the footage, which later caused shock to one of Maradona's daughters, who screamed expletives at the defendant and left the courtroom in tears, followed by her lawyer, leading to the suspension of the session.

Luque asserts that he did not know she was in the room, but Maradona's family says they do not believe that. The judges have repeatedly had to take on a different role, akin to a referee breaking up heated disputes among those present. Judge Alberto Gag said after one contentious exchange between legal representatives: 'It's impossible to stop them. They act like children all the time.' But the rivalry between Fernando Burlan, lawyer for Maradona's daughters, and Francisco Onetto, lawyer for the defendants, seems intractable.

Burlan once told his opponent: 'Go back to elementary school.' The reply was equally childish; Onetto asked his opponent to 'open a dictionary.' Their quarrels even caused one session to be suspended, but that did not prevent them from exchanging insults outside the courthouse in front of other lawyers, police officers, and journalists. Others tried to ease the tension through food gifts; one morning in June, one defense lawyer entered the courtroom carrying a huge bag filled to the brim with 'alfajores', a traditional Argentine sweet. A month earlier, another lawyer had brought Paraguayan cheese bread known as 'chipas' from a bakery owned by his wife. This initiative proved to be a smart business move, as lawyers from both legal teams followed the brand's Instagram account.

A miniature model of the house where Maradona died, considered one of the key elements in the trial (AFP).

Surprising many, a miniature model of the house where Maradona died has become one of the main elements of the trial. Students from the University of Belgrano built the model simulating the player's home in the city of Tigre, north of Buenos Aires. The model is about two meters long and one meter wide, and is so heavy that it requires four people to carry it back and forth whenever a witness needs to point to different parts of the building. However, all the oddities and complexities of the proceedings seem less strange in light of the most astonishing detail of the case: that the trial should have ended last year. The first track of the trial was annulled after it became known that one of the judges overseeing the case, Julieta Makintash, was secretly participating in a documentary about this case related to a famous personality.