- An auction of Diego Maradona's possession raised just $26,000 on Sunday.
- Over $1.4 million worth of items went unsold, representing around 93% of what was on offer.
- Among the unsold items was a seaside apartment, a house in Buenos Aires, and two BMWs.
An auction house tasked with selling items owned by Diego Maradona announced on Monday it would be extending its deadline for bids after it failed to sell more than $1.4 million worth of around $1.5 million of assets listed for sale by his family.
A seaside apartment and a house the Argentine had bought for his parents in Buenos Aires, which was valued at $900,000, were among items that failed to sell, with Sunday's virtual auction raising just $26,000, according to AFP, per France 24.
Also unsold were two BMW cars, listed at a combined $390,000, as well as a Hyundai van, listed at $38,000.
The most expensive item sold on the day was a painting of the former Napoli and FC Barcelona player titled "Between Fiorito and the Sky" by artist Lu Sedova.
The painting shows Maradona wrapped in a classical-style toga in the colors of the Argentine flag. He is holding an olive branch, while two doves fly behind him, and are also holding olive branches. It sold for $2,150.
Another item to sell was a photograph of Maradona with late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, which was purchased for $1,600.
Other items that sold included a painting of Marilyn Monroe; a pair of pants Maradona once wore while training with German side with Borussia Dortmund; and a box of Cuban cigars.
"Auctions are like that – one cannot know the result until it is over," organizer Adrian Mercado Group said at the conclusion of the day's selling, according to RTE. "We expected much, but the reality is that it is always unknown."
Adrian Mercado Group has now extended the bid time "due to the number of national and international bidders that did not manage to register by the deadline" on Saturday, according to France 24.
It said new bidders will have another 10 days to register a bid for the remaining items.
According to RTE, the auction had been ordered by Judge Luciana Tedesco to pay the debts accrued by the estate of Maradona, who died last year aged 60.
Maradona, who is widely considered one of the greatest soccer players ever, died in November 2020 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Tigre, Buenos Aires, where he had been recovering after undergoing brain surgery.
Seven medical professionals, including Maradona's former neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, have since been charged with homicide in his death.
An investigation into the Argentine's death was opened shortly after his passing, with police searching Luque's house. A medical board was also appointed to determine whether there was evidence of culpable homicide from Maradona's medical team.
The board disclosed in a report that Maradona had received "deficient and reckless" healthcare before his death.
Luque and the other suspects are still awaiting trial, which has not yet been scheduled.