Sotheby’s have issued a response
An auction house selling a shirt worn by Diego Maradona have responded to claims from the family that it is the wrong shirt.
Sotheby’s stated on their website that they had the shirt worn by the legendary footballer during Argentina’s famous 2-1 win against England in the 1986 World Cup.
Maradona’s daughter claimed that they had got the wrong shirt
The shirt is synonymous with the famous ‘hand of God’ incident in which Maradona clearly handled the ball to tip it past Peter Shilton and help knock England out of the tournament.
However the family of Maradona have claimed that the shirt, which is being auctioned by former England player Steve Hodge, is the one Maradona wore in the first half and not the second half, like Hodge has suggested.
“That ex-England player thinks he’s got my dad’s second-half shirt but there’s a confusion,” his daughter Dalma said.
“He has the first-half top. I wanted to explain that to people so that whoever wants to buy it knows the truth.”
Maradona's family have questioned the legitimacy of the shirt, which is set to go on auction in the next few weeks https://t.co/5h9TOFXbm2
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) April 7, 2022
Sotheby’s response
However Sotheby’s have since responded to the claims on Thursday and insisted that they are false and that they have conclusive evidence to prove it is the second half shirt.
A spokeswoman said: “There was indeed a different shirt worn by Maradona in the first half, but there are clear differences between that and what was worn during the goals.
“Prior to putting this shirt for sale, we did extensive diligence and scientific research on the item to make sure it was the shirt worn by Maradona in the second half for the two goals.
“This object has clear provenance, it is being consigned by the man that kicked Maradona the ball on the Hand of God play.
“Maradona acknowledges the provenance himself, in his book ‘Touched by God’, and he recalls giving it to Steve Hodge.
“It’s been in the National Football Museum for 20 years, where countless people have seen it. There has never been a claim that it’s not the shirt.”
Sotheby’s have also revealed that they appointed an expert from outside the company to photograph match the shirt and prove that it was the shirt Maradona wore in the second half of the game.
A catalogue note on the listed item states: “Sotheby’s worked with Resolution Photomatching in order to match the shirt to both goals examining unique details on various elements of the item, including the patch, stripes, and numbering.
“Resolution Photomatching was able to make a conclusive photomatch to the celebration following ‘The Hand of God’ goal.
“Resolution Photomatching did determine that Maradona switched shirts during the match, but that Maradona did wear this shirt for both historic goals in the second half of the match.”
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