CELEBRITY
Maradona psychiatrist denies blame in star’s death
The psychiatrist who was treating Diego Maradona when he died last November has denied any responsibility for his demise, which an expert panel has blamed on neglect, her lawyer said Friday (June 25).
Agustina Cosachov “provided evidence that she did not commit a homicide,” her lawyer said after the 36-year-old was questioned at the San Isidro Prosecutor’s Office outside Buenos Aires.
“There is no suspicion to say that the psychiatric medication (that Cosachov prescribed) and in those doses could have caused a deficiency in the heart,” Vadim Mischanchuk added.
The 1986 World Cup-winning captain died of a heart attack at the age of 60, weeks after undergoing brain surgery for a blood clot.
Cosachov and psychologist Carlos Diaz found Maradona dead in bed in a rented house in an exclusive Buenos Aires neighborhood where he was receiving home care.
Cosachov was questioned for more than six hours at the prosecutor’s office Friday, and presented a voluminous letter before leaving without speaking to the press.
“She was a psychiatric doctor,” Mischanchuk had said as they entered the office. “She had nothing to do with the clinical management of the patient.”
The addiction specialist is one of seven medical professionals under investigation for manslaughter over Maradona’s death in a case that has gripped Argentina.
According to the investigation record, Cosachov and neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, 39, were the key personnel in charge of Maradona’s care.
The phase of questioning suspects will finish next Monday with Luque appearing before prosecutors. He has also repeatedly denied any blame.
In the next phase of the investigation, a judge will decide whether or not to order a trial.
If found guilty at the end of the process, which could take years, the seven risk between eight and 25 years in prison. All are barred from leaving the country pending the outcome.
Prosecutors opened an investigation after a board of experts looking into the footballer’s death found he had received inadequate care and was abandoned to his fate.
Last week, a lawyer for co-accused nurse Dahiana Madrid, 36, told prosecutors the doctors in charge had “killed Diego.”
“In the end, there were many warning signs that Maradona was going to die, give or take a day. And none of the doctors did anything to prevent it,” attorney Rodolfo Baque said at the time.
Psychologist Diaz, 29, has – like Cosachov – denied the psychiatric medication Maradona was taking had worsened his heart condition.
As well as Diaz and Cosachov, four other people under investigation have given testimony so far: Madrid and fellow nurse Ricardo Almiron, 37; nursing coordinator Mariano Perroni, 40; and medical coordinator Nancy Forlini.
Two of Maradona’s children blame Luque for their father’s deterioration after the brain operation.
A panel of 20 medical experts convened by Argentina’s public prosecutor said last month that Maradona’s treatment was rife with “deficiencies and irregularities” and the medical team had left his survival “to fate.”
All have denied responsibility for the death of Maradona, an idol to millions of Argentines after he inspired the South American country to their second World Cup triumph, in 1986.
The former Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli star had battled cocaine and alcohol addictions for years, and was suffering from liver, kidney and cardiovascular disorders when he died.
-AFP
Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first footballer to reach billionaire status, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which has valued the Portugal great’s net worth at an estimated $1.4 billion.
The 40-year-old striker’s financial ascent comes after he signed a new contract with Saudi side Al-Nassr in June reportedly worth more than $400 million.
Bloomberg said that Ronaldo earned more than $550 million in salary between 2002 and 2023, supplemented by a decade-long Nike deal worth nearly $18 million annually, and lucrative endorsements with Armani, Castrol and others that added more than $175 million to his fortune.
Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr from Manchester United in 2023 had already made him the highest-paid player in football history, with an annual salary of 177 million pounds ($237.52 million), plus bonuses and a reported 15% share in his Saudi Arabia club.
Argentina and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has earned more than $600 million in pre-tax salary during his career.
Ronaldo’s billionaire status places him among a rare group of athletes that includes basketball greats Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James, golfer Tiger Woods and tennis player Roger Federer.
Ronaldo suggested he is not considering retirement any time soon.
“I still have a passion for this,” he said at the Portugal Football Globes gala on Tuesday. “My family says it’s time to quit and they ask me why I want to score 1000 goals if I’ve already scored 900-something. But I don’t think that way inside.
“I’m still producing good things, I’m helping my club and the national team. Why not continue? I am sure that when I finish I will leave full because I gave everything of myself. I know I don’t have many years left to play, but the few I have left, I have to enjoy them to the fullest.”
-Reuters
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Former England soccer captain David Beckham and actor Gary Oldman were knighted in King Charles’ annual birthday honours list on Saturday, while sculptor Antony Gormley was made a Companion of Honour.
Beckham, 50, joined Manchester United as a trainee in 1993, going on to make almost 400 appearances for the club where he won a string of titles and cups.
He subsequently played for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, and Inter Milan, as well as captaining his country 58 times and making 115 appearances.
His marriage to fashion designer and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham in 1999 cemented a celebrity status which went far beyond his sporting exploits.
Oldman, 67, started his career on the stage, where he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, before rising to prominence in film. He won the best actor Oscar for playing Winston Churchill in the 2017 drama “Darkest Hour”.
He also had roles in the “Dark Knight Trilogy” and the “Harry Potter” movie series and more recently starred in the TV spy drama “Slow Horses”.
Other famous names receiving honours included damehoods for musical theatre star Elaine Paige, novelist Pat Barker and ceramics maker Emma Bridgewater.
Roger Daltrey, lead singer of rock band the Who and a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, received a knighthood for services to charity.
More than 1,200 people received honours for their achievements, with a particular focus on those who had given their time to public service, the government said.
King Charles’ official birthday will be celebrated with the annual “Trooping the Colour” military parade in London on Saturday. His actual birthday is on November 14
-Reuters
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One of three judges in Diego Maradona’s closely scrutinized homicide trial in Argentina resigned on Tuesday amid a scandal triggered by the alleged filming of an unauthorised documentary, bringing uncertainty to the future of legal proceedings.
The high-profile trial over the death of soccer star Maradona began on March 11 in the South American country where the World Cup winner is still revered.
-Reuters
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