3 funeral workers fired over Maradona coffin photos

Argentinians pay their respects as Diego Maradona鈥檚 cortege passes along highway 25 de Mayo, Buenos Aires, Argentina, November 26, 2020. (Reuters)
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  • The images distributed across social media have created outrage, even death threats, across a nation that venerated Maradona
  • Claudio Fern谩ndez confirmed that he鈥檇 lost his job at the Pinier funeral home, along with his son Ismael and Claudio Medina

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Three funeral workers have been fired for posing for photos alongside the body of soccer star Diego Maradona shortly before his funeral.
The images distributed across social media created outrage, even death threats, across a nation that venerated Maradona, who died Wednesday of a heart attack at age 60. Tens of thousands lined up for a chance to file past his body at the nation鈥檚 presidential palace on Thursday.
Claudio Fern谩ndez confirmed to Radio Diez on Friday that he鈥檇 lost his job at the Pinier funeral home, along with his son Ismael and Claudio Medina.
One of the images shows Fern谩ndez and his son 鈥� smiling and with thumb raised 鈥� alongside Maradona鈥檚 body in the coffin on Thursday. Medina appears in another in the same pose.
Fern谩ndez insisted that he hadn鈥檛 known they鈥檇 planned to take a photograph, much less distribute it. 鈥淚t was something instantaneous. I鈥檇 just raised my head and my son did it like any kid of 18,鈥� he told the radio station.
He said he had been receiving threats from others living in the El Paternal neighborhood where Maradona debuted as a professional in 1976 with the Argentinos Juniors team.
鈥淭hey know me. I鈥檓 from the neighborhood,鈥� Fern谩ndez said. 鈥淭hey say they are going to kill us, break our heads.鈥�
The team issued a statement saying it was considering expelling Fern谩ndez from its membership rolls.