A funeral employee apparently tasked with preparing Diego Maradona's body for the wake was sacked after taking a picture with his body in the open casket, Mirror Sport reported, citing the owner of the funeral parlour.
The photo, which the man shared on Twitter, shows him giving a thumbs up next to Maradona's body. It has triggered widespread disgust and rejection on social media, as users considered it disrespectful both to the football legend and to his family and friends. One of the users reportedly suggested that the employee should be stripped of his Argentinian citizenship, calling it a "complete lack of respect".
Maradona's lawyer Matias Morla also reacted to the sickening selfie, pledging to take legal action. "For the memory of my friend, I'm not going to rest until he pays for [this] aberration", he posted on Twitter.
Thousands of Argentinians took to the streets on Thursday to pay tribute to Maradona. The farewell ceremony started peacefully but resulted in clashes with police forces as furious fans tried to enter the government palace, where Maradona's coffin was at that time. Due to the unrest, during which arrests were made and people were injured, it was decided to remove the casket from the palace.
The football great was buried at a cemetery in the Bella Vista residential area near Buenos Aires. The place was chosen as Maradona's parents are buried there.
