Diego Maradona Denies Hitting Ex-Girlfriend Rocio Oliva After Video Leaks, Says 'I've Never Hit A Woman'

Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona has denied “assaulting” a former girlfriend, Rocio Oliva, after a video purportedly showed the 53-year-old hitting her, media reports said Tuesday. The video reportedly surfaced online after an Argentine television station first broadcast it.

The video reportedly showed Maradona yelling at his former girlfriend while she was on the phone, and then hitting her. The 24-year-old Oliva, who secretly filmed the attack, was reportedly not seen in the video but was heard in the background pleading him to stop. Maradona denied the allegations stating that he had an argument with Oliva but did not hit her.

"Yes, I threw her phone away, but I swear to you that I've never hit a woman," he reportedly told Argentine journalist Marina Calabro, E! News reported. "The episode starts and ends there. I take responsibility for throwing her phone but there isn't more. The situation didn't happen and wasn't more serious than that."

He reportedly told Calabro that he knew that the video existed and “understands that the edit of the situation may look confusing.” He also reportedly said that he took the phone from Oliva’s hands after he realized she was recording him.

In August, Maradona made headlines after he reportedly hit a journalist for winking at his then girlfriend Veronica Ojeda in Argentina.