Football fan jailed for 7-years for threatening former Man.United star Di Maria over return to Argentina

A soccer supporter has been sentenced to seven and a half years in jail for threatening Argentine Ángel Di María in 2024 in a bid to cease the World Cup winner from returning to Argentina on the finish of his profession.

A court docket in Rosario discovered Sergio Di Vanni, 45, responsible of ordering acts of intimidation towards Di Maria’s household to dissuade the previous Argentina worldwide from coming back from overseas to play for a rival membership.

Di Maria was taking part in for Benfica on the time, in March 2024, however was contemplating a return to his boyhood membership Rosario Central, a transfer he finally accomplished in 2025.

Rosario Central and Newell’s Old Boys, Lionel Messi’s childhood membership, are the 2 main groups in Rosario and fierce native rivals.

The threats included gunshots fired close to a gated group the place Di Maria owns a property and the dumping of a pig’s head bearing a bullet wound outdoors an property company run by his sister, alongside a message threatening his daughter.

A 25-year-old lady, Belen Gutierrez, recognized by prosecutors as one of many perpetrators, was sentenced to 3 and a half years in jail in June after coming into a plea settlement.

A 3rd suspect stays in pre-trial detention. Prosecutors alleged the 2 carried out the threats in change for 4 million pesos ($2,600).

According to the prosecution, the intimidation marketing campaign was linked to an inner energy wrestle amongst Newell’s ultras. Di Vanni’s sentence additionally lined separate offences associated to his involvement within the supporters’ group.

Following the threats, Di Maria thought-about scrapping his return to Argentina out of concern for his household’s security. However, he later modified his thoughts and, at 38, has spent the previous two seasons with Rosario Central, serving to the membership clinch the Argentine title on the finish of 2025.