PARIS (AP) – Diego Maradona's heirs will file a lawsuit to stop the auction of the trophy presented to him after the 1986 World Cup, which Argentina won, a lawyer told The Associated Press on Tuesday. told.
The Golden Ball trophy, awarded to the tournament's best player, has recently resurfaced after being missing for decades after going missing under murky circumstances. Agut auction house announced last week that it will be auctioned in Paris next month.
maradona People who died in 2020 At the age of 60, he captained Argentina to a 3-2 victory over West Germany in the 1986 final in Mexico City. That was preceded by the “Hand of God'' goal and the “Goal of the Century'' in the 2-1 win over England in the quarter-finals.
Mr Maradona's heirs claim the trophy was stolen and the current owners have no right to sell it.
Gilles Moreux, a lawyer at the Paradox law firm, said he would make an urgent request to the president of the Court of Justice in Nanterre, near Paris, to withdraw the Golden Ball from auction. He told the AP he plans to request a judicial seizure of the trophy and file charges of theft and concealed theft.
Aguttes said the trophy reappeared in 2016 at an auction in Paris among other lots acquired from private collections.
Maradona received the award in 1986 at a ceremony held at the Lido Cabaret on the Champs-Elysées. She then disappeared and rumors spread.
Agtes said some people have lost them during poker games or sold them to pay off debts. Others say Maradona kept it in a bank safe in Naples, which was robbed by a local gang in 1989, when he was playing in the Italian league. Mr Maradona's heirs believe it was stolen from a bank.
Morru, who represents Maradona's two daughters, said his heirs only recently learned the trophy had been stolen. The lawyer said Maradona's family wants the Golden Ball to be banned because they believe it belongs to them.
Moru said she was contacted by an Argentine colleague after her two daughters discussed the matter with other heirs and agreed to take legal action.
The auction house's argument is that the person who bought the trophy years ago had no idea it had been stolen.
“If the owner of something is to be able to claim ownership under French law, there must be a clear condition that the owner's integrity is not questioned,” Paradox Law Firm said in a statement to The Associated Press. mentioned in. “This does not apply to the trophy that was famously stolen from Diego Maradona and whose heirs can legally claim ownership.”
“It doesn't seem like the seller contacted Diego, but it wasn't that complicated,” Morou said.
The auction house said it expects the trophy to “sell for millions of dollars due to its uniqueness.”
Bidders will be asked to pay a deposit of 150,000 euros ($161,000) to participate in the June 6 auction.
The Hand of God goal came when Maradona smashed the ball into England's net. Four minutes later, he weaved through England's midfield and defence, swung past goalkeeper Peter Shilton and scored what FIFA later declared to be the greatest goal in World Cup history.
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Petrequin reported from Montpellier, France.
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