Rome, 17 November (LaPresse) – Claudia Villafañe, Diego Armando Maradona's ex-wife, and his daughters, Dalma and Giannina, appeared today before the single judge of the Rome Criminal Court in the trial in which they are victims of defamation by former manager Stefano Ceci, who is charged with aggravated defamation. ‘He only told lies. His words hurt us; they are terrible accusations that have caused us great sadness,’ said Dalma, Diego Armando Maradona's eldest daughter, in court. The trial stems from an interview given by Ceci to a newspaper on 30 October 2021 about the champion's image rights, in which the manager said he had ‘always won in court and did not fear the parasites who exploited Maradona when he was alive and want to exploit him even after his death’. Ceci then added, referring to his daughters and ex-wife who had made him ‘go and die in the jungle’. "I was hurt by these statements. Everything about me and my daughters is being reported all over the world. I don't understand why Ceci said these things: he wasn't there. He even accuses me of stealing Diego's memorabilia. But when we separated, those things remained in my house and an Argentine judge recognised them as mine. I never sold anything," explained Villafañe, assisted by lawyer Francesco Caroleo Grimaldi. Dalma and Giannina added another element. ‘When Dad died,’ they said, ‘we discovered that he had signed a contract with Ceci for image rights. He told us that he had set aside money for us, his heirs, but we never saw that money.’