Argentine Court Jails Football Fan for Threatening Di Maria’s Family

Argentina – (Special Correspondent/Web Desk) – Di Maria has finally seen justice after a court in Argentina jailed a football fan for threatening him and his family. The judge gave the man a prison term of seven and a half years on Wednesday.

The court in Rosario found Sergio Di Vanni, 45, guilty of ordering the scare tactics. He wanted to stop the World Cup winner from coming home to play for a rival club.

The trouble started in March 2024. At that time, Di Maria was playing for Benfica in Portugal. He was thinking about going back to his boyhood club, Rosario Central.

Rosario Central and Newell’s Old Boys are the two big teams in the city. They are also bitter rivals. Lionel Messi grew up supporting Newell’s, which makes the rivalry even more famous.

The threats were serious. Shots were fired near a gated community where Di Maria owns a home. A pig’s head with a bullet wound was left outside an estate agency run by his sister. A message that threatened his daughter was also left there.

A 25-year-old woman named Belen Gutierrez was also part of the plot, according to prosecutors. She got three and a half years in prison in June after she agreed to a plea deal.

A third suspect is still in jail and waiting for trial. Prosecutors say the two people who carried out the threats were paid four million pesos, which is about $2,600.

The prosecution said the campaign was linked to a power fight inside the Newell’s ultras group. Di Vanni’s sentence also covered other crimes tied to his role in that group.

After the threats, Di Maria gave up on his plan to return to Argentina. He wanted to keep his family safe. Later, he changed his mind and came back anyway.

Now 38, Di Maria has spent the last two seasons at Rosario Central. He helped the club win the Argentine league title at the end of 2025.