Buenos Aires - Several thousand people attended the funeral Thursday in Buenos Aires of former Argentine president Raul Alfonsin, in a grand show of support for the man who led his country out of an era of dictatorship.

The social democrat Alfonsin, who died Tuesday of lung cancer at age 82, was president from 1983 to 1989, following a bloody dictatorship in which an estimated 30,000 people are believed to have been killed by military and paramilitary forces. Most of the bodies have never been found.

Buenos Aires  - Diego Maradona is an expert in extremes, and he got another dose of them as Argentina coach in recent days, with glory in Saturday's thrashing over Venezuela and disaster in Wednesday's historic and humiliating 6-1 loss to Bolivia.

The current situation raised uncomfortable questions as to national football legend Maradona's ability to lead Argentina in the South American qualifiers towards the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

La Paz  - Argentina coach Diego Maradona admitted Wednesday that his men were overpowered in every aspect of the game they lost 6-1 to Bolivia in La Paz, in a phenomenon that he described as "inexplicable."

"The whole of Bolivia played very well," he admitted. "They played good football."

As for his own men, Maradona was critical and said they did nothing of what they had planned ahead of the match.

"Argentina surprised me. I was surprised by the fact that they created so many chances," he said.

Buenos Aires - Argentines flocked to the national Congress building in Buenos Aires early Wednesday to pay their respects to former president Raul Alfonsin, who died late Tuesday of lung cancer at age 82.

Buenos Aires  - Former Argentina president Raul Alfonsin, who led his country out of an era of dictatorship, died late Tuesday, his personal doctor confirmed. He was 82.

Alfonsin died peacefully, his doctor Alberto Sadler said.

Earlier in the day, his son son Ricardo Alfonsin said his condition was rapidly deteriorating following a bout of pneumonia, but that he was still lucid. Alfonsin was suffering from lung cancer.

He was diagnosed with pneumonia on Sunday and was being treated at his home in the Barrio Norte neighbourhood of Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires  - Former Argentina president Raul Alfonsin, who led his country out of an era of dictatorship, was said to be in a rapidly deteriorating condition on Tuesday following a bout of pneumonia.

Alfonsin, 82, suffers from lung cancer, but his son Ricardo Alfonsin said that he was still lucid.

He was diagnosed with pneumonia on Sunday and was being treated at his home in the Barrio Norte neighbourhood of Buenos Aires.