The heirs of Diego Maradona will file a lawsuit to try to stop the auction of a trophy awarded to him after the 1986 World Cup Argentina won, his lawyer told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The Ballon d’Or trophy that awarded the best player of the tournament disappeared for several decades after it disappeared under unclear circumstances, only to reappear later. It will be auctioned in Paris next month, auction house Aguttes said last week.
Maradona, who died in 2020 aged 60, captained Argentina to their 3-2 victory over West Germany in the 1986 final in Mexico City. Before that was the “Hand of God” goal and the “Goal of the Century” in the 2-1 victory over England in the quarterfinals. Maradona’s heirs say the trophy was stolen and say the current owner may not have the right to sell it. Gilles Moreu, a lawyer working at the Paradox Lawyers firm, said he would make an immediate request to the president of the judicial court in Nanterre, near Paris, to remove the Ballon d’Or from the auction. He told the AP that he will also request a judicial seizure of the trophy and file a complaint for theft and secret theft. Aguttes said the trophy resurfaced in 2016 along with other lots obtained from a private collection at an auction in Paris.
Maradona received the award in 1986 at a ceremony at the Lido des Champs-Elysées cabaret. He later disappears, giving rise to rumours. Some say it was lost during a poker game or sold to pay off debts, Aguttes said. Others say Maradona hid it in a safe in a Naples bank that was robbed by local gangsters in 1989, when he was playing in the Italian league. Maradona’s heirs believe it was stolen from the bank. Moreu, representing two of Maradona’s daughters, said the heirs recently discovered the trophy had been stolen.
The auction house defends itself
According to the lawyer, Maradona’s family wants to ban the sale because they believe the Ballon d’Or belongs to them. Moreu said he contacted an Argentine colleague after the two daughters discussed the matter with other heirs, who approved the sale. The auction house’s argument is that the person who bought the trophy years ago did not know it was stolen. “If the owner of something can claim ownership under French law, it is with the express condition that his good faith cannot be questioned,” the firm Paradox Lawyers said in a AP statement.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
