After a store owned by his in-laws in Argentina was vandalised, a message was left for Lionel Messi threatening the PSG superstar. Messi, who currently was enjoying his win at FIFA The Best awards had to quickly shut down the celebrations as the incident took place at his in-laws’. The Rosario police claim that two shooters opened fire on the Unico supermarket, according to the Associated Press via Fox Sports.
The owner of the supermarket is Lionel Messi’s wife, Antonella Roccuzzo, whom he has been dating since 2008 and married in 2017. Even more concerning was the fact that a threatening note was left for the football star. According to police sources, at least twenty rounds were fired at the establishment.
‘Waiting for you’ – threat note left for Lionel Messi at in-laws’ store
The shooting incident has shocked the Messis with the threat note even making matters worse. Lionel Messi has been in Paris as he prepares for his club PSG’s next game against Nantes on Sunday, 5 March. However, the shooting incident is certainly going to have an impact on the 35-year-old’s availability for the game. The note, which was left behind by the shooters read:
“Messi, we’re waiting for you. Javkin is also a drug trafficker, so he won’t take care of you.”
Pablo Javkin is the mayor of Rosario, Argentina’s third-largest city and Lionel Messi’s birthplace as well. However, it’s unclear why the PSG player and his family were singled out for the attack despite him being one of the most adored as well as worshipped people in Argentina, particularly after guiding his nation to the World Cup win. An inquiry into the incident is ongoing.
In response to the incident that happened on Thursday, March 2, Javkin spoke with media about the rise in violence in the city. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the community’s leaders and the absence of police personnel as crime rates rise. The mayor further accused federal security officers of being involved in the attack during a radio broadcast, according to Fox Sports. He said:
“I doubt everyone, even those who are supposed to protect us. Where are the ones who need to take care of us? It’s clear that those who have the weapons and have the possibility of investigating the criminals aren’t doing it, and it’s very easy for any gang to carry out something like this.”
The letter was ‘not a threat’, according to provincial police acting chief Ivan Gonzalez, but rather an effort to ‘draw attention’, he told Cadena 3 television station. As nobody was on the spot at that time, he claimed that there were no casualties. Federico Rebola, the prosecutor in charge of the investigation, told reporters that the Roccuzzo family had not previously been the target of any known threats. He said:
“We’re concerned, this has a huge repercussion, we have the video images and we’re looking for more cameras.”
With 287 murders in 2022, Rosario, a port city on the Parana River, is the most violent city in Argentina. It has progressively grown to be a hub for drug trafficking. The center-left national government, the left-wing governor of Santa Fe State, Omar Perotti, and the centrist mayor frequently delegate authority for drug-fighting operations and the usage of the local police force to one another.