ROME — Italian financial authorities are set to auction off a pair of earrings worn by Maradona as they continue to pursue the Argentine football legend over massive tax debts, ANSA reported Monday.

Maradona's diamond-studded gold earrings were seized by Italy's financial police during his visit to a specialist weight-loss clinic in Merano during September 2009.

Valued at around 4000 euros, the sale of the earrings is unlikely to make a huge dent in his 36 million euros tax bill which according to an Italian taxpayer's association, www.contribuenti.it , has accrued 22.4 million euros in interest.

However the fact they are for sale signifies that Maradona is being given no quarter in Italy, where he played a pivotal role in the success of Napoli during his spell at the club from 1986-1991.

It was during his playing days there that Maradona failed to pay tax on his earnings. In 2005 a High Court ruled that he owed 36 million euros in total.

A year later, in 2006, the tax authorities managed to scrape 11,000 euros off Maradona's bill when they seized two expensive watches the Argentinian was wearing while he was visiting Naples for a charity match.

Source: AFP