A funeral worker took a thumbs-up selfie with the corpse of football legend Diego Maradona in an open casket, sparking outrage for his "disrespectful" behaviour.

The man, who has been identified as Claudio Fernandez, revealed that he lost his job at the Sepelios Pinier funeral home following the incident and apologized for his actions. The picture went viral on social media and invited the wrath of millions of fans across the world. Claudio Fernandez later reportedly mentioned, "It was something instantaneous. I'd just raised my head and my son did it like any kid of 18. We were getting ready to take Diego to the wake and my son, being a typical youngster, made the thumbs-up sign and had his photo taken. I ask for everyone's forgiveness. I've worked for Maradona's father and his brother-in-law. I've been close to Diego while he was alive. I would never have disrespected him while he was alive because he was my idol and it was not my intention after he died. I know a lot of people have been very offended and have taken it badly. I know it upset them. I ask all of them to forgive us."

Meanwhile, Maradona's lawyer Matías Morla has announced that he would launch legal action against those responsible for the picture. "Given the viralisation of an image of Diego on his deathbed, I am going to personally take charge of finding the scoundrel who took that photograph. All those responsible for such an act of cowardice are going to pay," Morla mentioned in a post on social media. Diego Maradona passed away at the age of 60 at his residence in Tigre after he suffered a heart attack.