By Humberto Viera
03 Jun 2024, 17:08 PM EDT
The heirs of Diego Armando Maradona have asked the French justice system to seize the Ballon d’Or that the Argentine star received for winning the 1986 World Cup.
According to EFE, the objective is to prevent the trophy, which was going to be auctioned in Paris on June 6 for a price that could have exceeded 10 million euros ($10.82 million dollars), “from disappearing a second time,” according to EFE. explained the family’s lawyer, Gilles Moreu.
The lawsuit was filed with the Versailles Court of Appeal a day after the Aguttes auction house announced the suspension of the sale. The auction house alleged that “the best conditions” did not exist due to the “climate of litigation and uncertainty” surrounding the object.
Maradona’s heirs maintain that the Ballon d’Or was stolen from a safe in Naples in 1989. Although in 2016 a collector bought it at a second-rate auction in Paris for a ridiculous price, the Maradona family assures that this is not the rightful owner of the trophy.
The family’s lawyer, Gilles Moreu, has asked that the Ballon d’Or be confiscated by the authorities “at least while the investigation lasts.” The Versailles Court of Appeal is expected to issue a ruling on the lawsuit next Wednesday, June 5.
Maradona’s Ballon d’Or is considered one of the most valuable sports objects in the world. If it had sold for the estimated price, it would have become the most expensive sports item ever auctioned.
This case highlights the complexity of ownership of valuable objects and the difficulty of determining their legal provenance.
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