The city of Rosario in Argentina has been plagued by a security crisis for years due to violence caused by drug gangs and soccer team barras. In the early hours of Thursday morning, two gunmen fired 14 shots at one of soccer player Lionel Messi’s in-laws’ supermarkets, leaving a message for him that read, “Messi, we are waiting for you. Javkin is a narco; he won’t take care of you”. The violence in Rosario has even reached the family of the city’s most famous soccer player.
The prosecutor’s office that will investigate this attack has a specific unit for investigating shootings that began operating in September 2020, indicating the speed with which violence has permeated the city. Rosario has a homicide rate five times the national average and recorded more than 50 murders in January and February of this year.
Despite the violence, the Argentine Football Association plans to organize two national team friendlies in the city, which has raised concerns about the safety of the players. Rosario’s mayor, Pablo Javkin, has criticized the government’s lack of concrete help in addressing violence in the city.
The Roccuzzo family, Messi’s in-laws, own a supermarket chain in the city that has been popular with locals due to its good reputation and personalized attention. The attack on their premises has been deemed a vicious attack and has raised doubts as to its origin.