An Argentine court has sentenced a football supporter to seven and a half years in prison for threatening World Cup winner Angel Di Maria and his family in 2024 in an attempt to prevent the player from returning to Argentina.
The court in Rosario found 45-year-old Sergio Di Vanni guilty of ordering acts of intimidation against Di Maria’s family to discourage the former Argentina international from returning from abroad to play for a rival club.
At the time of the threats in March 2024, Di Maria was playing for Benfica in Portugal and was considering a return to his boyhood club, Rosario Central. He eventually rejoined the Argentine side in 2025.
Rosario Central and Newell’s Old Boys, the childhood club of Lionel Messi, are the two major football teams in Rosario and have a fierce rivalry.
Threats targeted player’s family
The intimidation campaign reportedly involved gunshots fired near a gated community where Di Maria owns a property.
In another incident, a pig’s head bearing a bullet wound was left outside an estate agency operated by his sister, accompanied by a message threatening his daughter.
A 25-year-old woman, Belen Gutierrez, identified by prosecutors as one of those involved, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison in June after reaching a plea agreement.
A third suspect remains in pre-trial detention.
Prosecutors alleged that the threats were carried out in exchange for four million pesos, equivalent to approximately $2,600.
According to the prosecution, the intimidation was connected to an internal power struggle within Newell’s Old Boys’ supporters’ group. Di Vanni’s sentence also covered separate offences linked to his involvement in the group’s activities.
Following the threats, Di Maria initially abandoned his plans to return to Argentina because of concerns for his family’s safety.
He later changed his decision and returned to Rosario Central. Now 38, he has spent the past two seasons with the club, helping it win the Argentine title at the end of 2025.
Source: Vanguard
