Connect with us

Maradona Buried In A Presidential Way - Check Pictures

Piroll

Published

on

Follow
FOREIGN NEWS: Maradona Buried In A Presidential Way - Check Pictures [New Foreign News] » Naijacrawl
Photo: Naijacrawl

Just after a day that the death of the football legend Diego Maradona was announced, the iconic footballer has now been buried in a private ceremony after a day of emotional scenes in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.



Only around two dozen relatives and close friends attended the final ceremony on Thursday.



But earlier huge crowds turned out to pay their respects, with many weeping, blowing kisses and praying as they filed past his coffin.



Maradona died of a heart attack on Wednesday aged 60.

His death triggered mourning around the world but nowhere was it felt more fiercely than in a country that saw him as a national hero.

Maradona's coffin - draped in Argentina's national flag and football shirt, bearing his trademark number 10 on the back - was on public display at the presidential palace on Thursday.


By mid-afternoon queues stretched back for more than a kilometre, and police clashed with mourners as they tried to close off the palace in anticipation of the wake scheduled for 16:00 local time (19:00 GMT).


There were reports of tear gas and rubber bullets being used as officers in riot gear struggled to hold back the crowd.

One well-wisher, Rubén Hernández, thought the police had overreacted.

"We were calm lining up and suddenly, the police started to fire rubber bullets," he said, quoted by Reuters news agency. "Crazy, I just want to say goodbye to Diego."

Authorities were eventually forced to stop public viewing of the coffin to keep the peace.

The motorised funeral cortege drove his body to the Bella Vista cemetery on the outskirts of the city, where he was buried next to the graves of his parents.



The atmosphere varied greatly outside the presidential palace. Those waiting to go in were singing and chanting.

"If you don't jump, you're English," is one of the favourite chants of Argentinians about the 1986 match with England and THAT goal - the Hand of God - something many here saw as a sort of payback after the Falklands War, known here as the Malvinas.

But on the other side of the square, there was another line with those coming out, many wiping away tears or hugging each other after processing what had happened.



This wasn't just the death of Argentina's superstar footballer, but the passing of a man that many saw as a national icon, a star who made Argentina famous - and most of all, a very human role-model who Argentinians loved his flaws and all.

A man who was respected for achieving so much, yet never forgetting his roots.

'He was everything for us'

At the Italian club Napoli, where Maradona played for seven years and transformed their fortunes, fans flocked to the stadium to pay their respects chanting "Diego, Diego!".

It is the second day people have defied a coronavirus lockdown to pay tribute, ahead of Napoli's closed-door Europa League fixture against the Croatian team Rijeka.


The Napoli team, who all stepped onto the pitch wearing black armbands and Maradona's No. 10 jersey, won the match 2-0.

"He was unique, he represented everything, everything for us Neapolitans," fan Gianni Autiero told Reuters. "I have cried for only a few people in my life, and Diego is one of them."

Click Here To Comment




Piroll
 

Piroll is a creative writer, social-political commentator, socio-researcher, and sports analyst. He holds certificates in media management and data journalism from the Thomas Foundation Institute of Journalism. He works as a... Read More

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Be first to comment


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Foreign News

Presidential Candidate got Assassinated in Ecuador During a Rally

Piroll

Published

on

FOREIGN NEWS: Presidential Candidate got Assassinated in Ecuador During a Rally [New Foreign News] » Naijacrawl
Photo: Naijacrawl
As the Ecuador presidential election is fast approaching, one of the leading presidential aspirants has been killed by some yet-to-be-apprehended gunmen during a political rally.The murdered presidential candidate in Ecuador was assassinated on Wednesday evening at a political rally in the capital, just days before an election that was expected to be dominated by concerns over drug-related violence.The candidate, Fernando Villavicencio, a former journalist, was gunn...
Continue Reading

Foreign News

Court Ratifies Mali Presidential Election Result

Piroll

Published

on

NEWS: Court Ratifies Mali Presidential Election Result [New Foreign News] » Naijacrawl
Photo: Naijacrawl
The Mali court of law has ratified the election result release last week by the ministry of territorial administration and also confirmed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's win in this month's runoff election, rejecting fraud accusations by the opposition candidate Soumaila Cisse.The verdict which was delivered on Monday by the country's top court clears the way for Keita to begin his second five-year term on September 4 after he was declared the winner of Mali'...
Continue Reading

Foreign News

Mali presidential election runoff holds today

Piroll

Published

on

NEWS: Mali presidential election runoff holds today [New Foreign News] » Naijacrawl
Photo: Naijacrawl
Today Malians will be voting in the presidential election run off due to inability of any of the aspirants to polled beyond 50% benchmark in the July 29 election in the country.However, today presidential election runoff likely to see the incumbent president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (IBK) return to office despite criticism of his handling of the country's security crisis.This will be the second time that the two candidates in today presidential runoff will be...
Continue Reading

Latest


Download Naijacrawl App today

Fastest way to read on the go

Download the Naijacrawl App.