Diego Maradona has been buried on Thursday, in a private ceremony attended by a dozen people, after an emotional day in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A large number of adoring fans congregated on the streets waving flags and praying, as a way of paying their last respect to the Argentine football legend who died in his home on Wednesday, while recovering from a brain operation carried out about three weeks ago.
Maradona’s coffin, covered in Argentina’s national colors, including a flag and his iconic number 10 shirt, was laid at the presidential mansion for viewing and at the request of his family was taken away for burial shortly before 6 pm. A move that enraged fans who had waited all day to pay their last respects.
According to reports, tear gas and rubber bullets were used as security operatives struggled to hold back a crowd of people desperate to say goodbye.
“We were calm lining up and suddenly, the police started to fire rubber bullets,” a well-wisher told Reuters.
“Diego is not dead, Diego lives in the people,” the crowd chanted as Maradona’s coffin was taken driven by in a car headed for the Bella Vista Cemetery on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, where he was buried next to the graves of his parents.”
One of his former teams, Napoli, where he spent seven successful years, paid tribute to one of their own, with all the players wearing Maradona’s iconic number 10 jersey before their Europa League encounter with HNK Rijeka. Fans were seen gathered outside the stadium with flowers and memorabilia to pay their respects to Maradona.
In England, the Premier League has also asked all twenty clubs in the division to observe a minute’s applause and wear black armbands in honour of Maradona at all of the games this weekend.
May his soul rest in peace..