Maradona at mom's funeral

Buenos Aires - Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona attended the funeral of his mother at a private ceremony in Bella Vista, north-west of the capital Buenos Aires on Monday.

Maradona, 51, left the United Arab Emirates, where he is the coach of Al-Wasl, on Sunday to be at his ill mother's bedside, but was informed that she had died while en route.

Around 20 people attended the burial at a private cemetery 30kms from Buenos Aires.

Maradona and his father were greeted by dozens of well-wishers as he made his way into the cemetery, while one man displayed a banner which read, "We are with you and share your pain."

Maradona's daughter Dalma asked on her Twitter account that the media show "respect for my dad at such an emotional moment".

Maradona had received a phone call from Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner and was visited where he was staying in Buenos Aires by famed actor Ricardo Darin, the 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro and former Argentinian international striker Martin Palermo.

Argentinian league matches had been preceded by a minute's silence at the weekend out of respect for the woman nicknamed 'Madame Tota'.