Farewell Maradona

Daniela Spina, Argentina

Daniela Spina is a photographer and writer from Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Her photos and story come from the streets of the city on the day of Diego Maradona’s funeral, in November 2020.  

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football life? 

My name is Daniela, I live in Buenos Aires. I am a photographer and creative copywriter. I was born in a quiet neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, one of the southern neighbourhoods and one of the poorest. My dad is a fan of the most successful team in Argentina, Boca. My mother is fan of Huracan, my neighbourhood club, she has been a social member for more than 50 years. For me and my brothers it would have been very easy to choose to be a Boca fan, because they win all the time. But my grandfather wanted us to go to the Huracan stadium with him, which changed everything for us.

Who is in the photos? Where were the photos taken?

These photos are from the day of Diego Armando Maradona's funeral, in Buenos Aires. This event took place at the Government House of Argentina. The event was going to be massive, it was thought that it would last a few days. But his family decided that it would only last a few hours and only a few people were able to enter the funeral. After about 7 hours of the funeral there were crushes and injuries because they did not allow more people to see him.

What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?

When I arrived at the funeral the atmosphere was strange, people sang as if they were in a football stadium, but at the same time they cried. I wanted to show the fanaticism and love that Maradona generated, showing the details, the objects, and the people.

What is your favourite photo?

The man who is crying with the rose in his hand moved me a lot, I saw him totally moved. That's when I realized that it was not a normal funeral, it was a funeral of an idol.  

Are there any good stories connected with the people you photographed? 

Before attending the funeral, the fanaticism for Maradona for me was a bit inexplicable because of all the stories that are known about him. But after seeing these people cry like that, bringing gifts, objects, roses, everything changed in me. I found myself in the middle of that funeral crying, as if Maradona had meant something to me before that funeral. I saw people crying and I wanted to hug them, it helped me understand what Maradona symbolizes for many Argentines.

What role does football play in Argentinean society? 

Soccer is fundamental in our society. For example, at weekends my family get together to watch all of the games. The sound of the radio with a football game is the soundtrack of a typical Argentine house. In the capital the neighbourhoods identify with a soccer team. For example, I'm from Parque Patricios, they always ask me if I'm a Huracán fan (and of course I am!).  

The role of soccer in Argentina can cross several spaces, it is very present in our lives. Several years ago, with other Huracán fans, we created an NGO to help our neighbours in most need with food and medicine. This NGO is still standing and is a great symbol of the good things that soccer can do. 

Why is football so important for Argentine people? 

Soccer unites or divides people in Argentina. It is beautiful what it can do, because soccer is very powerful in our country. But just as it creates great bonds, it is capable of doing great damage. After so many bad moments for people in Argentina, soccer is the escape. They need to have something that makes them happy, and Maradona symbolized that. 

What does football mean to you?  

For me, football symbolizes family. Football is the memory of my grandfather taking me to the stadium for the first time, it is looking for my mother among the people, it is climbing the stands and sitting next to her, it is enjoying the games with my brothers and hugging each other for every goal. When I was a teenager, I escaped from school to go to games, and although I was the best student in my class, not going to a game was the worst. Now with the quarantine I feel a bit far from football, because for me, the most beautiful thing about being a fan of my team is going to the field, seeing friends and neighbours, sitting where my grandfather used to sit and walking back down the great avenue of the stadium talking about the game with my mom and my brothers. 

What are the opportunities for women in Argentinean football? 

With the last Women's World Cup, the women who play soccer in our country achieved very high visibility. I remember getting excited when I saw older people in the old bars of the city, the typical grandparents who get together to chat about soccer, watching those games. I really got excited. I think something is changing. Little by little the brands also understand that they have to be part of the presentations of the shirts, and the clubs must pay a proper salary. A lot is missing but luckily there are great players and activists who are changing things. In sports programs, the space for women grows every day. It is something that I love to observe, before it was only a decorative place, now more and more we are gaining a place that corresponds to who we are.