The heirs of Diego Maradona won. Yet rejected by the Nanterre court on May 30, they obtained the sequestration and ban on the sale of the France Football Adidas Ballon d’Or awarded in 1986 to the Argentinian legend, according to the judgment rendered by the court of call from Versailles this Wednesday. This means that justice will keep this trophy for the best player of the World Cup, stolen in 1989 then found in Paris, while the Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Property (OCBC) completes its investigation.
In an attempt to ease tensions, the specialized house announced on Sunday the postponement until further notice of the auction of the object, due to a “contentious climate” and D’“uncertainties”. This environment is linked to the doubts expressed by Maradona’s heirs as to the way in which Abdelhamid B. would have purchased the Ballon d’Or in 2016. If Abdelhamid B. evokes a lucky purchase in a “hardware lot”the children of Pibe de oro believe that this story is not plausible.
“We are satisfied with this decision, which is in line with our requests and reassures my customers, explains Gilles Moreu, lawyer for the Paradox firm, mandated by the heirs. My clients will now file a claim before the court, considering that, if the Ballon d’Or is the one awarded to their father in 1986, it should return to them. Abdelhamid B. cannot, in our opinion, and in view of the circumstances of the acquisition as the latter claims, be qualified as a buyer in good faith. » In order to recover the trophy, Diego Maradona’s heirs have three months to complete this action. A procedure which will continue to keep this soap opera alive.
