BUENOS AIRES- A handwritten threat was also left on the shop door of Lionel Messi, 35, captain of the Argentina national team and seven-time best footballer in the world. “Messi, we are waiting for you; (Pablo) Javkin (Mayor) is also a drug addict; he has no intention of doing business with you."
Two motorcyclists demolished a supermarket owned by the family of Antonella Roccuzzo, wife of Lionel Messi, in Rosario, in Argentina's Santa Fe province, early Thursday morning, local media and the city's mayor reported.
Javkin criticizes the security forces for the lack of an effective fight against organized crime, which has developed in recent years in the important port city, where dozens of ships load thousands of tons of grain every day.
"I've spoken (to Roccuzzo), and they're concerned," Javkin told reporters outside the supermarket that was attacked. TV recordings showed bullets on the sidewalk where the Roccuzzo family business is located. The facade of the building was hit by 14 bullets, and the store closed on Thursday morning.
Santa Fe Secretary of Security Claudio Brilloni told reporters that authorities had no specific hypotheses about the reasons for the attack. Prosecutor Federico Rébola said the Roccuzzo family had not previously received any threats, Rosario media reported.
There is no mention of the incidents on the official "Team Messi" Twitter account or on Antonella Roccuzzo's Instagram profile.
The homicide rate in Rosario is one of the highest in Argentina because, according to court reports, gangs of drug dealers coexist and reports of clashes resulting in injuries and deaths are frequent.
The attack occurred just weeks before Argentina plays two friendly matches in the South American country, and three months after Messi led the team to victory in the Qatar World Cup.
Both games will be held in Rosario. Argentina plays Panama in the capital Buenos Aires on March 23, and Curacao in the province of Santiago del Estero on March 28.
These will be the team's first matches in Argentina since the World Cup. Lionel Scaloni has yet to name his team.