Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Maradona dies aged 60: tributes and reaction – latest updates

Although his body is about 12,000km away from Napoli, Maradona’s wake has already begun in the Italian city, where thousands of people gathered in the streets and in front of the Stadio San Paolo to mourn the “greatest player of all time”.

Many are crying, others are singing, and they are all swapping memories of his greatest moves and goals.

It’s hard to really understand what Maradona meant for Napoli. He was truly venerated like a demigod. Maradona was a symbol, a living monument, like the colosseum in Rome or Big Ben in London.

With his genius, Maradona redeemed Napoli from the prejudices and racism suffered by southern Italians and installed a new pride to the city. Northern Italy had Fiat, TV broadcasters, Juventus, Milan, Van Basten, Platini, Ferrari and other luxurious cars. But Naples, Naples had Maradona.

Italy legend Franco Baresi, one of the best central defenders the game has produced and the symbol of AC Milan’s indomitable defence during the 1990s, said his old opponent was “the greatest of them all”.

“He made us suffer, he scored a ton of goals against us, sometimes you fouled him, he took the blows but never complained,” Baresi added. “He was fair on the pitch. He was loved by his teammates, because he did not let his greatness weigh, and by the people, who went to the stadium for the emotions he gave.”

Thanks Tom. Mike Hytner here taking over for the next while as the tributes continue to flow the Diego Maradona.

As we’ve heard, a three-day period of mourning has been announced in Argentina, while Wednesday’s Copa Libertadores game between Maradona’s former club Boca and Brazil’s Internacional was called off and rearranged for early December.

Meanwhile, Uefa has confirmed a minute’s silence will be held at each of this week’s European matches – we’ve already seen that tonight in Champions League games.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said: “I was in touch recently to wish Diego well, and this news comes as a considerable shock to me. He achieved greatness as a wonderful player with a genius and charisma of his own.”

Do get in touch with your memories of the great man – email mike.hytner@theguardian.com or @mike_hytner on Twitter.

Diego Maradona will be given a national hero’s farewell in Argentina, with his wake most likely to be held tomorrow at the Casa Rosada (“Pink House”) presidential palace in downtown Buenos Aires.

Although the final decision is up to the Maradona family, the government is already preparing the Casa Rosada for the occasion.

Diego Maradona is set to be honoured at Casa Rosada tomorrow
Diego Maradona is set to be honoured at Casa Rosada tomorrow. Photograph: Ricardo Ceppi/Getty Images

Maradona’s body is being transported from the home where he died to a nearby hospital for the autopsy this afternoon, although authorities have already confirmed the football legend died of natural causes.

“There was no sign of violence or criminality,” a judicial spokesperson said just minutes ago to reporters gathered outside the home where Maradona died in the northern suburb of Tigre outside Buenos Aires.

The mayor of Naples, Luigi De Magistris, proclaimed a day of mourning for the death of Diego Armando Maradona, while the lights of the San Paolo stadium in Naples will stay on all night to pay respect to the Argentinian champion.

De Magistris also proposed to retitle the stadium in Maradona’s name. “I ask for a day of mourning and at the same time that our stadium that witnessed so many of his successes may bear his name”.

Diego Maradona
People light flares as they gather under a mural of Diego Maradona in Naples. Photograph: Fabio Sasso/AP

Banners and flags have spread throughout the streets of the city centre, while on social media a call for a flash mob has gone viral: “Tomorrow hang from your balcony or window a scarf, a flag, a jersey. Anything that represents the Naples team. Bye, Diego”.

In the meantime, hundreds of fans in the Spanish Quarters have begun lighting smoke bombs and shouting stadium chants in front of Maradona murals.



from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/39lHGwN
via IFTTT

No Comment