Seven Argentines went on trial Tuesday charged with murder for their alleged role in what prosecutors called the "theater of horror" of the death of soccer legend Diego Maradona four years ago.

Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60, while recovering at home from brain surgery, after decades of struggling with cocaine and alcohol addiction.

On trial are a neurosurgeon, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a medical coordinator, a nursing coordinator, a doctor and a night nurse accused of criminal negligence in the care they provided to the footballer in his final days, it reports. KosovaPress.

In an opening statement, the prosecution said it aimed to present "strong" evidence that no member of the medical team "did what they were supposed to do" in the "theatre of horror" that was Maradona's deathbed.

"Look, this is how Maradona died!" Prosecutor Patricio Ferrari shouted in the courtroom, holding up a posthumous photo of Maradona, lying on his back in bed, his body grotesquely bloated.

The chilling photo brought tears to Maradona's three daughters, Jana, Dalma and Gianinna, who attended the court hearing, according to KosovaPress.

"They [the defendants] are lying to you when they say they did not take part in the murder," Ferrari accused. Fernando Burlando, a lawyer for Dalma and Gianinna, described Maradona's medical team as "evil".

The defendants face eight to 25 years in prison if convicted on charges of "potentially willful murder" - pursuing a course of action despite knowing it could cause death.

Outside the court, dozens of fans held banners calling for "justice."

Maradona was found dead two weeks after the operation, in a rented house in an exclusive neighborhood of Buenos Aires where he was brought after being released from the hospital.

KosovaPress