After the painful defeat (3-1) suffered by the Pumas against Inter Miami, which caused its elimination of the CUP 2025 leagues, Efraín Juárez He surprised with a strong statement. At his postpartid press conference, the Mexican coach denounced that Álvaro Angulo, left side of your team, He was a victim of intimidation and serious threats of death.
«This I want to say publicly because it is something that is not normal. We have a complicated case … today, in the morning, A player of mine played in Independiente received death threats in his mail and on his phone, ”he revealed. The Mexican coach asked “zero tolerance for these circumstances” and confirmed that the club's directive will investigate what happened and support his player.
Álvaro Angulo, threatened
«You have to be quite attentive to those circumstances. Everything usually indicates that they come from there (Argentina), We are in an internal investigation of the club, but many of those messages come from Independiente, ”he said. Efraín Juárez valued the attitude Álvaro Angulo had to play almost 90 minutes in the duel against Inter Miami and, above all, that he has decided to share the situation.
«The boy was… he makes his effort, as a great professional. These things must be said because they are not easy to digest. Imagine you wake up with death threats on the day of the game, ”said the coach. It should be remembered that, during the CUP Leagues, Mexican referee Katia Itzel García also received death threats from Monterrey's fans. For this reason, the case of the Pumas player would be the second of this nature that is publicly denounced in the tournament between the Liga MX y la Major League Soccer (MLS).
Álvaro Angulo, who arrived in Independiente in January 2025, quickly became a key piece of the team. With 24 games played and five goals, his performance caught the attention of Pumas from Mexico, which presented an offer for his signing. However, the link between the player and the directive tensed when Angulo denounced contractual breaches, ensuring that the salaries corresponding to March and June had not been paid, despite the fact that the club had resources to incorporate players. “They never took care of me … a relationship was broken where they didn't know how to handle things,” he said.
Independiente responded firmly through an official statement in which denied the existence of a significant debt and made known payment vouchers. The club claimed to have advanced almost 90 % of a premium corresponding to July 15, and that as of July 10, 2025 there was only one minor balance due to prizes and salary differences, which had already been canceled. In addition, the institution claimed to have offered a contractual improvement to Angulo to retain it, although its definitive position was to leave the club. Finally, in his farewell in July, Angulo expressed his gratitude towards fans, colleagues and the coaching staff, but did not hide his disenchantment with the board.
