From Argentina to Naples, the planet mourns Diego Maradona: tens of thousands of people gathered in Buenos Aires on Thursday for the funeral vigil for the Argentinian icon, who died on Wednesday and mourned far beyond his country native and football world. In the district of Boca in Buenos Aires, but also in Europe in Naples and Barcelona, high places of the career of “Pibe de Oro” (“golden kid”), the emotion seized the fans, a few hours later the announcement on Wednesday of the death at 60 of the 1986 world champion following a cardiac arrest. A crowd of supporters spent the night in Place de Mai, in central Buenos Aires, facing the presidency, singing songs in tribute to their idol. On Thursday morning, they were several tens of thousands around the presidential palace for the start of the wake at 06:00 local (09:00 GMT), with the hope of seeing the remains of the former playmaker, transported there to the night. Before the doors opened, crowd movements occurred in front of the “Maison Rose”, seat of the presidency. Then a long line of anonymous began to parade in front of the coffin covered with an Argentinian flag and a flocked jersey of the N.10. This mourning ceremony, initially scheduled for three days, must finally be held on Thursday alone, until 4:00 p.m. local time (9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. GMT), at the request of the family, said Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez, who declared three days of national mourning.
