Maradona tattoo on his leg saves a cameraman from being arrested in Ukraine

Daily ACE tells about the story of an Argentine cameraman who was sent to Ukraine to cover the invasion of Russia and after being arrested by troops from the invaded country, a tattoo on his leg with the image of soccer player Diego Armando Maradona saved him from the prison

The complete note of the medium that is detailed in its portal: www.argentina.as.com is:

ACE contact with Juan Sebastian Zamudiocameraman assigned to Ukraine, who was released along with his companions after teaching the maradona tattoo that he wears on his leg.

Turbulent times are lived in Eastern Europe. In the context of the imminent war conflict that is taking place on the border of Russia and Ukraine, tensions grow between the military commanders and the population of both countries. All this means that the press from around the world stationed in the area is under a magnifying glass.

Juan Sebastián Zamudio, cameraman stationed in Ukraine for Telefe News, was a victim of the situation that exists there. Violent moments, plagued with uncertainty, which have been appeased by a tattoo of Diego Armando Maradona.

“We were traveling between cities by car, when in the middle of the route, while we were recording, someone observed us and called the police,” says Zamudio in conversations with ACE. “A couple of patrol cars came and stopped us. They made us take out all our things and the material, all in a bad way”.

After this, one of the guards present there, identified the group as originally from Argentina, to which he began to talk about one of the most international things that Argentina exports: soccer. “One of them began to speak in Ukrainian and we understand that he says: “Maradona… Messi…”, and from that, to loosen the situation we began to show them things that we were wearing. The journalist showed him a photo of Messi, and what I had closest to hand was Maradona’s tattoo”, explains Juan.

The moment when everything relaxed

This situation is not new for this press team, they are used to suspicions being raised around them, and to constant controls and questions from the authorities: “It had already happened to us, the situation is complex, they do not know what we are doing there and they think we’re spying and things like that. They keep us there for a while and seeing nothing suspicious, they let us go.”

Juan now comments on the event with laughter, remembering the moment when the guards radically changed their attitude towards them: “When they saw the tattoo everything loosened, and the truth that much better. Now that everything is over, that’s it, but when you’re there you don’t know if your things are going to be returned to you (cameras, material, recordings, etc.) and that has you very worried and the tattoo changed everything”.

The press team was able to continue with its work, which is to broadcast what is happening there. The cameraman thanks God that all this has happened, and remembers that moment as an anecdote.

Why does he have Maradona tattooed?

Juan Sebastián’s tattoo is like any other person’s, marking his skin with the image of one of his youth idols: “I got it when I was 15, and I never thought it could help me get out of a situation like this, in a war. Thanks to what Maradona means all over the world, today we were able to get out of there and continue with our work”. (D)