Messi’s Family Threatened by Narcos in His Argentina Hometown

The family of Argentine World Cup Champion Lionel Messi received an alleged narco threat in his hometown of Rosario, the country’s most violent city.

Several shots were fired early Thursday at a supermarket in Rosario owned by the family of Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, according to local reports. The shooters left a message that referred to Messi himself and the mayor of Rosario, Pablo Javkin: “Messi, we’re waiting for you, Javkin is a narco, he isn’t going to protect you.”

Messi and his family haven’t commented and the motive remained unclear. Later Thursday, Javkin criticized the multiple police forces patrolling Rosario for lack of enforcement. Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez said at an event that he was in touch with local authorities to find out what happened.

“We’re doing a lot but evidently something more will have to be done because the violence and organized crime in Rosario is a really serious problem,” he said.