Maradona died of a heart attack last month and was buried on Nov. 26 in a cemetery just outside Buenos Aires

While Maradona’s lawyer had previously told Reuters that DNA samples already exist, the court said the former Boca Juniors and Napoli player’s body must not be cremated at some later date.

Five recognised children and six with filiation requests are part of a complex inheritance process in Argentina.

The ruling from the National Court of First Instance in Civil Matters No. 56 also said: “Ms. Gil requests that a study be carried out … and that for this purpose the acting prosecutor’s office send a DNA sample.”

Maradona recognised four children in Argentina and one in Italy, which he had during his time as a player in the country.

REUTERS