Sport report that Lionel Messi’s family are considering legal action against El Mundo for allegations made against Jorge Messi.
El Mundo have today published a story alleging that Barcelona forward Lionel Messi’s father, Jorge, has been under investigation by the Unidad Central Operativa (UCO), a branch of the Civil Guard, for allegedly laundering proceeds from drug trafficking.
This report says that the UCO believe the money, seen as from a Colombian drug network, was laundered through the purchase of tickets for rock concerts and high profile friendlies, such as the ‘Friends of Messi’ initiative.
For the latter event, El Mundo also allege that statements have been taken from four Barca players, interviewed as witnesses – Lionel Messi, Dani Alves, Javier Mascherano and Jose Manuel Pinto.
Whilst there has been no official comment from the Messi family on the allegations made against Jorge, Sport report that they are denying the story, planning a statement and considering taking legal action against the newspaper, believing it to be part of a ‘new campaign to discredit Lionel Messi’s image in the Spanish capital’.