BUENOS AIRES.- The Argentine footballer Angel Di Maria The Ministry of Security of the province of Santa Fe said on Tuesday that the two-time Copa América champion has “security measures always available” after the two-time Copa América champion rejected the possibility of playing again against the Rosario Central club due to a lack of “guarantees.”
Di María’s decision, which will continue to be linked to the Portuguese Benfica, was made known after the forward received two threats in the city of Rosario (in the province of Santa Fe), considered the “drug capital” of Argentina and where in March 2023, a shop owned by the father-in-law of the captain of the national football team, Lionel Messi, also a native of that city, was shot at.
Rosario Central club president Gonzalo Belloso announced on Monday that “Fideo” had decided not to return to the club where he started his football career because “he did not feel that there were any guarantees of safety for himself and his family.”
However, “security measures are always available if the person concerned, being a person of high public exposure, contacts the authorities and a dialogue is established and the options are shown to them,” Pablo Cococcioni, security minister of Santa Fe – where Rosario is located – told the local press on Tuesday.
The official also made himself available to the player, stating that “as soon as someone contacts us, we will be happy to discuss the security options we can offer.”
On May 30, two people on a motorcycle opened fire on a gas station in the city of Rosario, 300 kilometers from Buenos Aires, and left a threatening note addressed to Di María.
The day before, unidentified people had painted over a mural in honour of him.
The forward’s relatives had already been threatened in March in the gated community where they live, on the outskirts of Rosario, and a young man investigated for drug trafficking was arrested for that incident.
The intimidation consisted of throwing a bag containing a card with the legend “Di María Family” and a note that said “Not even (Maximiliano) Pullaro will save you,” in reference to the governor of Santa Fe.
“Very heavy”
Jorgelina Cardoso, Di María’s wife, spoke last week about the possibility of returning to Rosario and the threats received: “It’s not nonsense, people know half of it, things happened that are not known.”
The woman considered the issue “very delicate and very ‘heavy'” and added that she would do “whatever he decides.”
Governor Pullaro said on Monday that he respected the footballer’s decision, but explained that “there are protocols in place to guarantee the safety” of public figures.
“We may be threatened, but we know that if we follow the security protocol, our safety conditions will be assured,” he said.
For his part, the Undersecretary of Communications of the Ministry of Security, Jorge Albornoz, told AFP that said protocol is drawn up “according to the requirements and needs” of the person to be protected in the event of “a probable risk.”
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AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko
Rosario is the most violent city in Argentina, with a homicide rate that in 2023 reached 22 per 100,000 inhabitants, five times higher than the national rate, and most of the crimes were related to drug trafficking, according to official statistics.
In March last year, two people on a motorbike fired 14 shots at the front of the “Único” supermarket in Rosario, owned by Antonella Roccuzzo’s father, the father-in-law of football star Lionel Messi.
On that occasion they also left an intimidating note addressed to Messi that said “We are waiting for you. (The local mayor) is a drug dealer and he will not take care of you.”
However, drug violence began to decline in the last six months in the city, according to official statistics, which revealed a 52% drop in the first half of the year, compared to the same period in 2023.
Source: AFP
