A Rosario court sentenced a 45-year-old ultra supporter of the Newell’s Old Boys to seven and a half years in prison on Wednesday. The conviction stems from a campaign of intimidation launched in 2024 to deter forward Angel Di Maria from returning to Argentine football to play for rival club Rosario Central.

Sergio Di Vanni was convicted for orchestrating the threats, which targeted the player and his family as rumors grew about his potential homecoming. At the time of the threats in March 2024, the 2022 World Cup winner was playing for Portuguese club Benfica. Rosario Central and Newell’s Old Boys, the childhood club of Lionel Messi, are the two fierce historical rivals in Argentina’s third city.

The Escalation of Threats and Gunfire in Funes

The intimidation campaign involved several high-profile security incidents around Rosario. According to court details, suspects fired weapons and left threatening messages near the private residential neighborhood of Funes in suburban Rosario, where Di Maria owns a home.

The harassment also targeted members of the player’s extended family. Perpetrators left a pig’s head with a bullet hole through its forehead outside a real estate agency owned by Di Maria’s sister. An attached note warned that if he returned to Rosario Central, his daughter Pia would be the next target, as Di Maria later recounted to regional outlet Rosario 3.

Co-Conspirators and Ongoing Legal Proceedings

Investigators established that the intimidation plot involved coordinated efforts among radical fan factions. In addition to Di Vanni’s sentence, a 25-year-old woman named Belen Gutiérrez accepted a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence in June during a plea-bargain procedure for her role as an executor of the threats. A third suspect remains in pretrial detention.

Court documents indicate that the two alleged operatives were contracted for a payment of 4 million pesos, equivalent to roughly $2,600 USD. Prosecutors argued that the underlying motive involved power struggles and supremacy battles within the Newell’s Old Boys ultra groups, with Di Vanni’s conviction also encompassing separate offenses tied to his activities within the fan organization.

The Impact on Di Maria’s Career and Eventual Return

The severity of the threats initially forced the veteran forward to reconsider his career plans. Citing the safety and well-being of his family, Di Maria temporarily shelved the idea of finishing his career in his home country while still under contract abroad.

Despite the initial deterrence, Di Maria eventually resolved to return to Rosario. Now 38 years old, he successfully rejoined Rosario Central and helped lead the squad to a league championship title at the close of the 2025 season.