One by one, the politicians, footballers and celebrities who fired Diego Maradona at the wake at the Casa Rosada

Guido Carelli Lynch

11/26/2020 2:07 PM

• Clarín.com

• sports

Updated 11/26/2020 2:25 PM

At twelve thirty at noon, at the foot of the coffin where the remains of

rest

, the best player of all time, there were: dozens of Argentine flags, a poster with the image of 10 in his time in the Napoli;

others with the National Team shirt, in the 1986, 90 and 94 World Cups, with the albiceleste shirt and with the blue one, the goal against the English.

Also a banner from Villa Dálmine, T-shirts from Boca, Independiente and an octopus ball, the expression of a pasture.

They are the offerings left by the thousands and thousands of fans who enter at a rapid pace, with applause and shouts of encouragement, for Balcarce 50 to fire the idol.

With their heads down and in silence they leave through the door of Balcarce 24.

The open drawer wake for family and friends in the Hall of Native Peoples ended after six in the morning.

Since then a tide of people has followed.

They wear t-shirts of all the teams -including that of River- and, also, political slogans.

"Without paddocks there are no Maradonas," says a flag signed by the Evita Movement carried by a militant.

A while later a woman enters on crutches;

another load to a dog.

The people who walked the 700 meters from 9 de Julio to Plaza de Mayo in a long line that will reach Garay at noon - mostly men - get excited when they arrive in front of the coffin.

"Come on, Diego. Great, Diego. Thanks Diego."

Others sing.

“Olé, Olé, Olé, Diego!

Those behind are added.

The soccer player's daughters endure the stoicism and pain with which a father is dismissed.

They also cry.

They also applauded the insult to Matías Morla, Maradona's last lawyer and one of those forbidden by the family to be part of the celebration;

with the former partner of the star, Rocío Oliva.

Mario Pergolini arrives at the Casa Rosada.

Pablo Echarri enters Maradona's wake.

From the early morning, the Government House became a gorge of personalities of football, politics and entertainment.

The 86 champions were among the first to arrive, just like the 86 national team players. There was Carlos Bilardo,

, Boca players

, gloria xeneize, and the former coach of Velez,

The cast is endless.

And eclectic like Maradona.

They passed

, the president of the AFA

;

his soul friend and manager for almost two decades

;

the singer

and the actors

.

The journalist

;

the lawyer

and the singer

.

Marcelo Tinelli

was in the early morning.

almost ten hours later.

Alberto Fernández puts a handkerchief from Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, Founder line, on Diego Maradona's coffin.

Politics came later.

President Alberto Fernández arrived at 11.20.

He entered the burning chapel along with the first lady Fabiola Yañez, the Secretary of Communication, Juan Pablo Biondi and the Undersecretary of Political Affairs of the Presidency, Miguel Cuberos, who was the official link with the Maradona family to organize the wake.

The Government more than complied with one of the few requests of the ex-wife of the 10, who requested that there be an Argentine flag on the coffin.

They placed a huge national flag in the corral that marks the entrance to the Rosada.

The head of state greeted the family and spoke with some of Maradona's teammates in the Cebollitas, the memorable Argentinos Juniors youth team, which excelled in the old Evita tournaments.

Fernández made up for the missing oblivion: the shirt of his Argentinos Juniors team on the drawer;

next to the Boca and the Selection.

He also placed a handkerchief from the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo Línea Fundadora that was handed to him.

The first lady placed a bouquet of roses on the coffin, where the gymnastics cap of La Plata, used by the star, could also be seen.

Next to it, on a table, there was a replica of the World Cup that Diego raised in Mexico and held, upon his return, from the balcony of the Casa Rosada, when Raúl Alfonsín was president.

The President spoke with

, River idol and friend of Maradona, for a long time and retired to his office.

On the way he met the former singer of Ratones Paranoicos

-

personal friend

- and they merge into a long hug.

Enzo Francescoli and the president fire Maradona

His collaborators assured that the president would keep a low profile.

On Wednesday, when the news of the death was known, he gave 5 interviews;

this Thursday only one.

Claudio "el Turco" García consoled, meanwhile, the daughters of 10.

Fernández sent two flower crowns: a personal one from Argentinos Juniors and the other institutional.

Next to it were those of Diego Simeone;

one of the 12, the barrabrava of Boca;

another from Barcelona;

one from the mayor of Lanús Néstor Grindetti, where Maradona was born;

another from the Evita Movement, one from deputy Nicolás Nicolás Rodríguez Saá and representative Christian Bragarnik, among many.

Chief of Staff Santiago Cafiero was one of the first officials to greet the family, at 9.20.

Then, half the Cabinet was present: the Ministers of Tourism Matías Lammens;

Productive Development, Matías Kulfas;

Defense, Agustín Rossi;

Environment;

Juan Cabandié, Foreign Relations Felipe Solá, and Salud, Ginés González García, who on Wednesday avoided speaking with accredited journalists because he was

.

Two referents from La Cámpora would join in the afternoon, among them the Interior Minister Eduardo "Wado" de Pedro and Senator Mariano Recalde. 

There were hardly any, at least until noon, opposition leaders.

There were only a handful of legislators together with the vice president of the Frente de Todos en Diputados bloc, Cristina Alvarez Rodríguez.

The cast of provincial, national and provincial officials included Secretary of Strategic Affairs Beliz;

the Secretary for Human Rights, Horacio Pietragalla;

the president of the National Council for the Coordination of Social Policies, Victoria Tolosa Paz, and the Buenos Aires Minister of Social Development Andrés “Cuervo” Larroque.

the Duck Ubaldo Fillol

Claudia Villafañe greets each of the players from Gimnasia de La Plata, the last team that led the 10. Most of them enter with flowers that they place on the drawer.

Behind them is the president of the Deputies Sergio Massa.

And a while later the rapporteur Víctor Hugo Morales. 

“Maradó must be encouraged.

I don't care what those fucking journalists say, "Boca fans sang a while before for two long minutes.

Many, too, cry.

"I love you diego".

The pile of offerings already occupies 3 square meters: dozens of posters are seen.

They all say the same word: "Thank you."

Outside, there are 20 queuing blocks.

PJB

Look also

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Bullfights, incidents and tension in the massive wake of Diego Maradona at Casa Rosada