Maradona requested alcohol and 'tore out his own IVs' in days after surgery

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Maradona requested alcohol and 'tore out his own IVs' in days after surgery

2025-05-07 03:17 Last Updated At：03:21

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The director of the clinic where Diego Maradona had surgery two weeks before his death in 2020 testified Tuesday that the Argentine soccer star requested alcohol during the post-operative period and was difficult to deal with, which made his subsequent recovery in home care inadvisable.

Pablo Dimitroff, medical director of the Olivos Clinic, said that neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, one of the seven health professionals on trial requested “a place” so the former player could undergo surgery in early November 2020.

Maradona had surgery for a hematoma that formed between his skull and brain and stayed in intensive care at Olivos between Nov. 4-11. He then was sent recover to a private home where he died on Nov. 25 of 2020 at age 60.

The deficiencies in Maradona’s home care are one of the prosecution’s key pieces of evidence against the defendants. A cardiologist testified that he was against moving Maradona from the Olivos Clinic.

Dimitroff said the surgery was not “an emergency,” although there were indicators “that it was necessary at some point.”

The operation was performed by a neurosurgeon at that center and it was routine, according to the medical director.

After the surgery, the former player displayed a “difficult” temperament during his stay in intensive care and “did not understand that he had to stay still,” Dimitroff said. He added that on Nov. 6, Maradona had “a complex psychomotor excitation episode” that resembled alcohol withdrawal, which was what he was demanding, the manager indicated.

“We were dealing with an aggressive patient who tore out his own IVs; he was a very difficult patient to take home,” Dimitroff stated.

Dimitroff explained that he discussed the situation with Luque and Agustina Cosachov — Maradona’s psychiatrist, who is also on trial — and with the former soccer player’s family.

According to Dimitroff, both Luque and Cosachov requested sedation for Maradona which was carried out at the clinic for approximately 24 hours.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Tensions flare in Minnesota as protesters and federal agents repeatedly square off

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal officers dropped tear gas and sprayed eye irritant at activists Tuesday during another day of confrontations in Minneapolis while students miles away walked out of a suburban school to protest the Trump administration's bold immigration sweeps.

The government's immigration crackdown is next headed to a federal court where Minnesota and two mayors are asking a judge to immediately suspend the operation. No hearing has been set on the request.

Gas clouds filled a Minneapolis street near where Renee Good was fatally shot in the head by an immigration agent last week. A man scrubbed his eyes with snow and screamed for help while agents in an unmarked Jeep sprayed an orange irritant and drove away.

It's common for people to boo, taunt and blow orange whistles when they spot heavily armed agents passing through in unmarked vehicles or walking the streets, all part of a grassroots effort to warn the neighborhood and remind the government that they’re watching.

“Who doesn't have a whistle?” a man with a bag of them yelled.

Brita Anderson, who lives nearby and came to support neighborhood friends, said she was “incensed” to see agents in tactical gear and gas masks, and wondered about their purpose.

“It felt like the only reason they’d come here is to harass people,” Anderson said.

Separately, a judge heard arguments and said she would rule by Thursday or Friday on a request to restrict the use of force, such as chemical irritants, on people who are observing and recording agents' activities. Government attorneys argued that officers are acting within their authority and must protect themselves.

In Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, students protesting the immigration enforcement operation walked out of school, as students in other communities have done this week.

With the Department of Homeland Security pledging to send more than 2,000 immigration officers into Minnesota, the state, joined by Minneapolis and St. Paul, sued President Donald Trump's administration Monday to halt or limit the surge.

The lawsuit says the Department of Homeland Security is violating the First Amendment and other constitutional protections by focusing on a progressive state that favors Democrats and welcomes immigrants.

“This is, in essence, a federal invasion of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and it must stop,” state Attorney General Keith Ellison said.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said: “What we are seeing is thousands — plural — thousands of federal agents coming into our city. And, yeah, they’re having a tremendous impact on day-to-day life.”

Dozens of protests or vigils have taken place across the U.S. to honor Good since the 37-year-old mother of three was killed.

Homeland Security says it has made more than 2,000 arrests in the state since early December and is vowing to not back down. Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, responding to the lawsuit, accused Minnesota officials of ignoring public safety.

“President Trump’s job is to protect the American people and enforce the law — no matter who your mayor, governor, or state attorney general is," McLaughlin said.

The Trump administration has repeatedly defended the immigration agent who shot Good, saying he acted in self-defense. But that explanation has been widely panned by Frey, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and others based on videos of the confrontation.

Two Democratic lawmakers from Massachusetts announced Tuesday they are sponsoring a bill to make it easier for people to sue and overcome immunity protections for federal officers who are accused of violating civil rights. The bill stands little chance of passage in the Republican-controlled Congress.

In Wisconsin, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez is proposing that the state ban civil immigration enforcement around courthouses, hospitals, health clinics, schools, churches and other places. She is hoping to succeed Gov. Tony Evers, a fellow Democrat, who is not running for a third term.

“We can take a look at that, but I think banning things absolutely will ramp up the actions of our folks in Washington, D.C.,” Evers said, referring to the Trump administration. “They don’t tend to approach those things appropriately.”

Associated Press reporters Ed White in Detroit; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; and Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed.