Maradona’s doctor under investigation for possible manslaughter

Argentine prosecutors are investigating Diego Maradona’s doctor for possible manslaughter following the footballing legend’s death four days ago.

Police in Buenos Aires have searched the house and private clinic of Leopoldo Luque as they try to establish if there was negligence in Maradona’s treatment following surgery.

The 60-year-old died of a heart attack at his home where he was recuperating. His daughters have pressed for details about their father’s medication.

Maradona had a successful operation on a brain blood clot earlier in November and was due to be treated for alcohol dependency.

Dr Luque has stressed that he is co-operating with the authorities and that he had done his best for Maradona until the very end.

What is the investigation centred on?

Some 30 police officers began the early morning raid on Dr Luque’s house – with another 30 going into his clinic in Buenos Aires.

The raids were ordered by prosecutors trying to build a picture of Maradona’s last days at home.

There are suspicions that the star’s convalescence at home might not have met the conditions of his discharge from the clinic, such as a 24-hour team of nurses “specialised in substance abuse”, the on-call presence of doctors and a stand-by ambulance equipped with a defibrillator.

Officials want to know how often Dr Luque, who was the footballer’s personal doctor, went to see Maradona at his house.

Why was Maradona so popular?

He was captain when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup, scoring the famous “Hand of God” goal against England in the quarter-finals.

Maradona played for Barcelona and Napoli during his club career, winning two Serie A titles with the Italian side. He started his career with Argentinos Juniors, also playing for Sevilla, and Boca Juniors and Newell’s Old Boys in his homeland.

He scored 34 goals in 91 appearances for Argentina, representing them in four World Cups.

Maradona led his country to the 1990 final in Italy, where they were beaten by West Germany, before captaining them again in the United States in 1994, but was sent home after failing a drugs test for ephedrine.

During the second half of his career, Maradona struggled with cocaine addiction and was banned for 15 months after testing positive for the drug in 1991.

He retired from professional football in 1997, on his 37th birthday, during his second stint at Argentine giants Boca Juniors.

Having briefly managed two sides in Argentina during his playing career, Maradona was appointed head coach of the national team in 2008 and left after the 2010 World Cup, where his side were beaten by Germany in the quarter-finals.

He subsequently managed teams in the United Arab Emirates and Mexico and was in charge of Gimnasia y Esgrima in Argentina’s top flight at the time of his death. (BBC)