Maradona death: Nurse reveals possible neglect led to footballer's death

As if football legend Diego Maradona's passing is not tragic enough, the incident is now surrounded by a dark cloud as investigations are being launched in order to determine the events that took place in his final moments. The latest controversy revolves around a nurse who has allegedly claimed that the footballer fell and hit his head a week before he died and was not taken to the hospital to be properly examined.

Maradona's passing hit the headlines last week, and it has been widely reported that the cause of death was "chronic heart failure" which took place while he was at home in Buenos Aires. However, Argentinian authorities have started launching probes into the circumstances surrounding his death,

According to The Sun, a lawyer for one of Maradona's nurses has claimed that the footballer fell and hit his head last week but was not taken to aa hospital nor given an MRI scan to assess his condition. It may be remembered that the World Cup winner is still recovering from a surgery on a blood clot on his brain in early November.

Gisela Madrid, the nurse who is now at the center of this new controversy, reportedly said: "Maradona fell on the Wednesday of the week before his death. He fell and hit his head, but they didn't take him to the hospital for an MRI or CT scan …"

It is unclear whom she meant when she said "they" did not take the footballer to be evaluated and treated properly at the hospital.

Madrid and her lawyer, Attorney Rodolfo Baquè, have also alleged that Maradona was left alone for three days "without help" after the fall. Being his nurse, it is also unclear where Madrid was during this time and why she did not insist on giving the footballer the attention he needed.

Maradona had been living with a 24-year-old nephew at the time of his death, who claimed to have seen him get up for breakfast a few hours before he was found dead in his sleep. The nephew's statement contradicts the investigators' findings that indicate Maradona did not eat anything for breakfast and even had an untouched sandwich by his bedside which is believed to be from the night before.

Nurses attending to the footballer have also been giving inconsistent statements, with one saying she saw him alive and breathing normally in his sleep at 6:30 am and at 9:20 am. She later admitted to having lied about checking on him the second time.

Psychiatrist Susana Cosachov and psychologist Carlos Diaz were the ones who discovered Maradona already lifeless before noon.

Maradona's daughters Dalma and Giannina have pushed for an investigation on their father's medical team and the care and medication that they have given him in the weeks leading up to the tragedy.

The probe has led to the raid on the home and clinic of Maradona's personal doctor, Leopoldo Luque, in recent days. Luque denies any wrongdoing and said that Maradona and his family insisted on letting him recover at home instead of a rehabilitation facility as he recommended after his discharge following the surgery.