A football supporter was sentenced to seven years in prison by an Argentine court for threatening the football star Ángel Di María and his family.
In March 2024 there were threats directed at the former football star of Argentina who was considering returning to his childhood club Rosario Central.
The convicted man was Sergio Gabriel “Bebe” Di Vanni, 45, who was found guilty of organizing acts of intimidation to deter Di María from returning to the Argentine club.
The sentence was handed down in Rosario on October 28, 2026 on the condition of an agreement between prosecutors and the defence.
The case stems from two alarming events that had worried the footballer and his relatives. In the first incident there were gunshots fired close to a gated residential area in Funes, which is near Rosario where Di María’s family had a house. And a threatening message was also sent warning them not to return to the city.
Another incident took place at a real estate company run by Di María’s sister. A package containing a pig’s head with a bullet embedded in it was left at the premises.
The package was accompanied by a threatening message directed at the footballer’s daughter so there was a lot of concern for the family’s safety.
Investigators probed whether the threats were linked with tensions between hardcore supporters from Newell’s Old Boys, Rosario Central’s biggest local rival.
They contended that intimidation was connected with the rivalry in the supporters’ networks. Di Vanni was charged with arranging the acts in exchange for payment.
The prison sentence also includes punishment for participation in a criminal organisation and a shooting incident in July 2024. Belén Gutiérrez, another of those connected to the case, received a three-and-a-half-year sentence after reaching a plea agreement in June. The court also ruled that a third suspect was in pre-trial custody.
The threats complicated Di María’s plans to return to Rosario Central. At the time, the winger was playing for Portuguese club Benfica and had said he wanted to finish his club career at the club to which he started. But the safety of his family became the biggest factor in his decision.
Di María later spoke out publicly about the pig’s head incident and the fear in the region and the danger. But in 2025 he returned to Rosario Central to play again for his childhood club, after he had achieved success in Europe and this was in the future.
Argentine footballer is known for his contributions to the national team, which led to Argentina’s victory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He also played an important role in the country’s Copa América successes and is one of the greatest players in Argentina.
The court’s decision brings new attention to the dangers faced by athletes and their families when sporting rivalries become entangled with intimidation and alleged criminal activity.
And the case also raises questions in Rosario about the continuing organised crime and violence of football supporter groups.
Di María’s return to Rosario Central meant much more to the player and the club’s fans. But the danger of that decision and the threats around it showed how personal safety issues can take precedence over even the most important moments in a footballer’s career that are really important for the player and fans.
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