The defence in the trial over Diego Maradona’s death has challenged claims that medical negligence contributed to the Argentine football legend’s final hours, arguing that the cardiac crisis that killed him could not have been anticipated.

According to Channels Television, lawyers representing Leopoldo Luque, the neurosurgeon who treated Maradona, made the argument during closing submissions on Wednesday, urging the court to clear their client of responsibility for the death.

Defence attorney Francisco Oneto maintained that Maradona suffered an acute and unpredictable heart attack, while Roberto Rallin accused the case against Luque of unfairly singling him out. Rallin described the doctor as a “scapegoat” and insisted that the evidence supported his innocence.

The prosecution, however, has called for a 12-year prison sentence for Luque, alleging that he failed to act on warning signs while Maradona was recovering at a rented home in Tigre, near Buenos Aires. The former Argentina captain died aged 60 in November 2020 from a cardiorespiratory crisis accompanied by pulmonary oedema, weeks after undergoing surgery for a subdural haematoma.

The case involves seven healthcare professionals accused of possible negligence during Maradona’s recovery. Prosecutors have sought prison terms of between four and 12 years for six defendants, while the defence has disputed a medical commission’s findings that Maradona’s history of heart problems should have influenced his care.

Luque’s lawyers argued that medical examinations carried out before the surgery did not identify cardiac problems. Closing arguments were expected to continue on Thursday.