Maradona allowed short trips

FOOTBALL: Argentine football legend Diego Maradona will be allowed out of a clinic where he is being treated for alcohol abuse for exercise and visits with his family, his personal doctor Alfredo Cahe said Thursday.

“We are starting another phase. Maradona is able to go out for therapeutic reasons. He can exercise and see his family,” Cahe told radio Del Plata.

Former Argentine captain Maradona, who has struggled with cocaine and alcohol abuse for years, was hospitalized for 22 days in April suffering from hepatitis linked to heavy drinking.

He has now spent 13 days at the Buenos Aires mental health center, which specializes in patients with addictions. Cahe said Maradona, 46, has begun talking more with other patients who are struggling with similar problems.

“His family is always together with him ... all under the rules of the treatment program,” Cahe said.

Since he entered the facility, the staff has steadfastly refused to comment on his progress, despite widespread rumors that Maradona’s health had worsened.

The ex-Argentina World Cup captain and Barcelona star’s career on and off the football pitch has been marred by repeated drug and alcohol abuse. He was hospitalized in 2000 and 2004 for heart attacks provoked by cocaine overdoses.

Thursday, AFP