Maradona’s vigil is out of control

There is a very popular and well-known expression in Argentina that says that the Plaza de Mayo, in front of the Casa Rosada, “is of the mothers”, of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, the great fighters in defense of the rights humans, and that still today and for more than 40 years every Thursday they go through it to remember that there are still 300 missing. Well, now the Plaza de Mayo is for mothers but also for Maradona. And it will go down in history for being the scene of the monumental farewell to Diego Armando Maradona, the new universal Argentine icon who already accompanies for posterity other icons such as Juan Domingo Perón, Evita and Che Guevara.

The Argentine government has wanted to dismiss Diego Armando Maradona as head of state, and the Casa Rosada has been where thousands and thousands have said their last goodbyes after hours and hours in a row in the Plaza de Mayo, under an intense heat of almost austral summer. A square that combined sadness and silence with fireworks, cries of joy and gladness, and the most footballing euphoria imaginable. So much so that for a long time the Plaza de Mayo looked like La Bombonera del Boca Juniors or La Paternal de la Argentinos Juniors, the two most Maradona teams in Argentina, where it has also been remembered in recent hours. “Maradona has made me happy for many years, he has given us everything,” summed up Ezequiel Mandotti, a 43-year-old Argentinean from Maradona with his son standing in line to enter the Casa Rosada.

It was initially planned that the burning chapel with the remains of the great Argentine star would last for three days, but the Maradona family preferred to shorten the farewell and bury it on the outskirts of Buenos Aires in a cemetery. But the popular warmth of the thousands and thousands of Diego Armando Maradona fans is so great that his memory will surely make the acts in his honor last a few days. Maradona died at the age of 60 when he appeared to be recovering from a head operation. A cerebral hemorrhage that, three weeks after being treated and operated on, seems not to be the most likely cause of his death. The health of the Argentine god was deteriorating, and his heart could no longer bear to beat the blood of a world-famous myth. Argentina fires a great player, a person with many lights and shadows, able to do magic on the grass of the stadiums but also with the ability to lead a very questionable life that many did not like. Many believe in Argentina that being Maradona has been for him the best in the world. Her last wish when she turned 60 a month ago was to have her children and grandchildren at the same table. The head operation succeeded, but he enjoyed it for a short time.

They change the location of the coffin

The coffin with the remains of Diego Maradona has been removed and taken to another hall of the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires for the incidents that occur in the vicinity and the uncontrolled entry of people to the seat of government. Maradona’s coffin and relatives have moved to another area and people’s access has been disrupted.

The vigil, which was to end at 4pm, has been extended by three hours due to incidents that have started to occur in the vicinity when the police started to prevent access to the queue to enter the vigil. Several people have jumped the fences of the Casa Rosada and entered.

Police have used tear gas to control the situation. Local media have shown homemade videos showing how they are carrying the coffin to another sector.