Hommam Al Nassim 
Argentine footballer Angel Di Maria received a threat at his family home on the outskirts of the Argentine city of Rosario on Monday amid a wave of drug-related violence in the region.
Local media reported that a car left a sign in front of the house where Di Maria, 36, usually stays, carrying a message to his family that even provincial governor Maximiliano Pollaro will not guarantee their safety if Di Maria returns to the city.
The message, published by the news site “InfoBay”, quoting police sources, said: “Tell your son Angel not to return to Rosario because we will kill a family member, even Polaro will not save you, we do not leave notes on paper, we leave behind gunshots and deaths.”
The letter came a week after Di Maria said he wanted to end his career at Rosario Central, where he belonged as a child.
Police have not immediately commented on the threat, and reports have yet to reveal the motives of the threat, with police reluctant to rule out any possible lines of investigation.
For his part, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed that Di Maria will participate in a friendly match against Costa Rica and indicated that full support will go to him to ensure his rest.
Rosario, home to one of the world’s largest export ports, is witnessing a spike in cases of violence linked to drug trafficking groups and, according to experts, is a potential area for drug trafficking to other countries.
The Argentine government announced last week its intention to introduce a bill to Congress that would allow the armed forces to intervene in homeland security to combat drug trafficking and crime in Rosario.
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