Buenos Aires, Nov 27 (IANS) Diego Maradona’s coffin stayed at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires from around 1 pm to 4 pm (local time) where scores of fans paid their last respect to the football legend who passed away at the age of 60 on Wednesday.
President Alberto Fernandez had declared three days of national mourning following the following the football icon’s death. According to the Argentine Football Association (AFA) website, the stadia of Boca Juniors, Velez Sarsfield, San Lorenzo, Huracan, Arsenal, Ferro Carril Oeste, Estudiantes y Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, Instituto de Cordoba, Rosario Central, Newell’s Old Boys de Rosario, Malvinas Argentinas de Mendoza, and Atletico Tucuman, among others, lit up at 10 pm on Wednesday in honor of the No. 10 that Maradona wore for much of his career.
Fans also gathered at the Obelisk landmark in downtown Buenos Aires and at the Bombonera, home stadium to Boca Juniors where Maradona played before leaving for Europe and returned for the last two years of his career.
After 4 pm, the coffin was returned to the family and, according to local reports, Maradona is expected to be buried at the Bella Vista cemetery in Buenos Aires.
Widely rated as the greatest player of all-time, Maradona led Argentina to victory at the 1986 World Cup. The tournament featured a number of sublime performances from the legendary forward, the most prominent of which came in a quarter-final match against England and the goal he scored in the match which came after a 60-yard run with the ball from midfield, dribbling past six English players has since been dubbed ‘Goal of the Century’.
–IANS
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