With songs, applause, cries and all kinds of expressions of affection, Argentina says goodbye to soccer star Diego Armando Maradona, who died this Wednesday at the age of 60 due to a cardiorespiratory arrest at his residence in Tigre.
The remains of the soccer idol arrived this Thursday at the burning chapel located at the headquarters of the Argentine Government, the Casa Rosada.
["Even the ball is going to cry": the heartfelt reactions to Maradona's death]
The wake is open to the public from 6 am (local time) and, in principle, until 4 pm.
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"We are very sad, nobody can believe it.
This is going to mark a before and after in the world
," Roxana Belda, a Buenos Aires resident who came to the Casa Rosada, told Noticias Telemundo.
[In pictures: Diego Armando Maradona's life of glory and misery]
"Diego was a people, he was a field, he was football.
For us he was the best in history
, he gave us a lot of joys, a world championship," assured Alejandro Itkin.
Followers of Diego Armando Maradona at the doors of the Casa Rosada where this Thursday the burning chapel of the Argentine star who died on Wednesday at the age of 60 was opened.
EFE / Juan Ignacio Roncoroni
After receiving an intimate farewell with his family, friends, former footballers (such as the Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea or Carlos Tevez del Boca Juniors) and some authorities at his residence, the coffin was transferred with a delegation escorted by the police to the Buenos Aires capital.
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She was joined by hundreds of fans and admirers of the football star who collapsed with their vehicles the entrance highway to the city.
A follower of Maradona cries at the doors of the Casa Rosada where the burning chapel of the Argentine star has opened this Thursday.
EFE / Juan Ignacio Roncoroni
The remains of the 10 arrived shortly after 1 a.m. this Thursday.
Many waited for hours around the government headquarters and in the Plaza de Mayo to enter the wake.
According to local media, at the opening of the wake there was a small incident with a group that tried to tear down the containment fences and confronted the police.
This forced the Casa Rosada headquarters to close for a few minutes, although it could later be reopened.
The coffin in which Maradona's remains rest has been wrapped in an Argentine shirt with the mythical number 10 that he wore when he played.
Maradona's followers outside the Casa Rosada.REUTERS
The television images also showed how some fans threw t-shirts of other teams such as Boca Juniors or the Argentine national team into the coffin.
Many of the fans that crowd the doors of the Casa Rosada spent the night in the vicinity waiting for the doors to open to say goodbye to Maradona.
Some sources indicate that, given the number of citizens who have come to the burning chapel, it is likely that not all will be able to enter, so video screens have been installed so that the coffin can be seen from the outside.
A man waits in line outside the Casa Rosada to bid farewell to soccer legend Diego Maradona, in Buenos Aires.REUTERS
Naples begins process to dedicate its stadium to Maradona
"We are already preparing everything this morning, taking the first steps to dedicate the Naples stadium to Maradona," said Luigi De Magistris.
"It is a process, but it will be a quick process because when there is such a strong desire there will be nothing to stop us."
A man cries outside the San Paolo stadium in Naples, Italy, after learning of the death of Argentine soccer player Diego Armando Maradona;
on November 25, 2020. REUTERS
"We hope to make it coincide with the resumption of the games with the public," added the mayor.
The city operates the San Paolo stadium, where Maradona led Napoli in their only two Serie A titles, in 1987 and 1990.
By Gabriela Martínez with information from Efe, AP and El Clarín.