Maradona's personal secretary testified that 'Diego was in free fall'

Maximiliano Pomargo, the personal secretary to the late football legend Diego Armando Maradona, testified in court that the star was in "free fall" about a month before his death. Pomargo, who worked within a team managed by Maradona's lawyer Matías Morla, stated he handled everything from buying shoes for Maradona to speaking with FIFA officials.

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He was drinking a lot. There was no way. In that month, the idea of forcibly hospitalizing him was considered.

When questioned about Maradona's health in October 2020, Pomargo described the situation as "free fall," adding that he had warned the star's personal doctor, Leopoldo Luque. "He was drinking a lot. There was no way. In that month, the idea of forcibly hospitalizing him was considered," Pomargo told the court.

Pomargo's testimony became contradictory when discussing Maradona's home care between November 11 and November 25, 2020, the day he died. Initially, he denied any involvement in the decision for home care, which prosecutors consider crucial. However, after his statements were challenged with messages indicating otherwise, he claimed Maradona did not want to be admitted to a clinic and that he "would never have done anything against Diego's will."

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I would never have done anything against Diego's will.

The witness also stated he was unaware of Maradona's heart conditions, though he later acknowledged knowing about publicly reported health issues prior to joining Maradona's team. He admitted that medical tests in August 2020 revealed liver problems, prompting him to tell Luque to "scare him with that so he would stop drinking."

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I told Luque to scare him with that so he would stop drinking.

Pomargo recounted warning Luque and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, also accused in the trial, about Maradona's significant swelling and depression in his final days. Luque reportedly attributed the swelling to Maradona spending too much time lying down. Maradona died from acute lung edema secondary to chronic heart failure, according to the autopsy.

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When I warned about the swelling, Luque told me it was because Diego spent a lot of time lying down.