An Argentine court has sentenced a football supporter to seven and a half years on Wednesday for threatening Angel Di Maria in 2024 in an attempt to prevent the World Cup winner from returning to Argentina at the end of his career.
A court in Rosario found Sergio Di Vanni, 45, guilty of ordering acts of intimidation against Di Maria’s family with the aim of discouraging the former Argentina international from returning from abroad to play for a rival club.
Di Maria was playing for Benfica at the time, in March 2024, but was considering a return to his boyhood club Rosario Central, a move he eventually completed in 2025.
Rosario Central and Newell’s Old Boys, Lionel Messi’s childhood club, are the two major teams in Rosario and fierce local rivals.
A third suspect remains in pre-trial detention. Prosecutors alleged the two carried out the threats in exchange for four million pesos ($2,600).
According to the prosecution, the intimidation campaign was connected to an internal power struggle among Newell’s ultras. Di Vanni’s sentence also covered separate offences linked to his involvement in the supporters’ group.
Following the threats, Di Maria initially abandoned plans to return to Argentina for the safety of his family.
He ultimately reversed that decision and, now 38, has spent the past two seasons at Rosario Central, helping the club win the Argentine title at the end of 2025.
AFP
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