(CNN Spanish) — The Court of First Instance of Nanterre in France has ruled against the heirs of Diego Armando Maradona, and the Agutes House will finally auction the Ballon d'Or that the world champion won at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico this June 6.
Gilles Moru, a lawyer for the former soccer player's children, told CNN that the court ruled that “acquiring assets through public auction excludes bad faith,” adding that the current seller acted in good faith when he bought the trophy at auction in 2016. its legal owner.
According to the ruling, accessed by CNN, the owner received various items and did not know they contained the Ballon d'Or.
According to the star's family, the trophy was lost after a robbery in which the golden ball had been kept in a safe at a Naples provincial bank since 1989. The defense argument was that the theft was common knowledge and that the purchase of the goods should be considered in bad faith.
Acute sports memorabilia expert François Thierry said that when the collector who is bidding on the trophy today bought it, he had no idea what it was.
In 2018, after investigating the object's appearance, he realized that it was Maradona's golden ball and tried to contact him, but was unable to do so. So he tried selling it on eBay, with no luck, after which he contacted Aguttes for a possible bid.
After nine months of tests and investigations, the auction house confirmed that the gold ball was genuine and decided to put it up for sale.
According to the lawyer for the family of the deceased ex-footballer, a criminal investigation is still ongoing as a result of a complaint filed by his clients. He added that Maradona's children plan to use all resources to stop the sale of the trophy.
For now, after the French judge's decision, the auction will take place on Thursday, June 6 at 9 a.m. (Miami time). CNN reached out to Aguttes auction house for its response to the French judiciary's ruling, but has yet to hear back.
The bid to win the Ballon d'Or award is expected to reach the million dollar mark.
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