Maradona still in hospital in alcohol scare

Football legend Diego Maradona, seen here, remained in hospital Friday for alcoholic detoxification, two days after being admitted, with a psychiatric nurse by his side.

Football legend Diego Maradona remained in hospital Friday for alcoholic detoxification, two days after being admitted, with a psychiatric nurse by his side, the hospital director said.

"Maradona remains under treatment with sedatives, ... and support medications. There have been new routine tests, which have shown acceptable results," Hector Pezzella, the medical chief at Guemes Hospital, told reporters.

Pezzella said that while Maradona, 46, was "fully into a period of recovery," he was drowsy given the sedatives he has been receiving "to avoid withdrawal symptoms."

"He is stable and is progressing very well ... he did wake up and he ate breakfast," Pezzella added, noting that eating on his own was a sign of progress.

Maradona awakened twice early Friday and is aware he is in hospital, the doctor said, noting "he was at no point aggressive."

The ex footballer's personal physician Alfredo Cahe earlier had said Maradona was admitted against his will and had to be sedated.

Pezzella said Maradona was expected to be treated in hospital until some time next week as in cases of alcoholic detoxification a patient is released five to seven days after being admitted for inpatient treatment.

Should Maradona decide to leave before then, Pezzella said, doctors would allow him because "his life is not in danger."

The football icon has a psychiatric nurse as well as a clinical nurse constantly on duty. And his daughters Dalma and Giannina, and a few close friends were staying in a room alongside Maradona's.

Cahe also has said Maradona has been depressed in recent weeks.

While both Pezzella and Cahe have denied Maradona's treatment was related to use of any illegal drugs, they said it was likely he had replaced a dependency on cocaine with alcohol.

In early March Argentina's central bank began collecting information about Maradona's bank accounts, suggesting the football great was under investigation for tax evasion.

Voted one of the best players of the 20th century and revered like a god in Argentina, Maradona has a history of drug addiction and was hospitalized in 2000 and 2004 for cocaine overdoses.

Born October 30, 1960 just outside Buenos Aires, Maradona shares the FIFA title of the 20th century's best player with Brazil's Pele after a stellar career with Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli.

He scored 50 goals in 115 games for Argentina during his 21 years as a football star. He proved his genius in the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico, with a series of brilliant displays that led Argentina to the title.

But like much of his career, even that star turn was dogged by controversy.

His first goal was the notorious "Hand of God" effort, which saw Maradona fist the ball over England goalkeeper Peter Shilton.

His second goal in that match, however, has been called one of the most brilliant ever in the game.

Since Maradona's retirement at 37, scandals have continued to surround him, including marital infidelity and drugs.

In 2005 he found a new and successful career in television, hosting a widely watched show called "The Night of 10," referring to his iconic Argentina jersey number.

In 2005 he underwent gastric bypass surgery in Colombia.

Newspaper photographs early this month appeared to show he had regained many of the 50 kilograms (110 pounds) lost in his crash weight-loss treatment. Another showed him in a Buenos Aires nightclub with an injured nose after falling off a chair.