A 30-second video clip of Diego Maradona hitting his ex-girlfriend Rocio Oliva was leaked to the media on Monday.
Looking visibly intoxicated, Maradona slurs his speech as he questions Oliva over her telephone use before physically confronting her.
"Stop! Stop! Stop hitting me," Oliva pleads.
Facing a barrage of criticism, Maradona spoke out to defend himself by claiming he was only slapping the telephone out of Oliva's hands.
"Yes, I threw the phone but I swear to God that I have never raised my hand against a women," he told Argentine journalist Marina Calabró in a series of text messages.