Lionel Messi News: Barcelona Star's Brother Matias Reportedly Arrested for Illegal Gun Possession
Lionel Messi's brother, Matias, was reportedly arrested for possessing an illegal firearm.
According to Marca, Matias Messi, the brother of FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi, has been arrested after police searched his Audi A5 last Saturday near the city of Rosario, Argentina. The police found an unlicensed 22-caliber gun in the car.
According to Bleacher Report, witnesses claimed that there was a scuffle between Matias and the police. Gerard Couzens of the Mirror stated the following about the alleged scuffle.
"Local reports said he tried to throw the keys to his car into a friend's home near the search point. Matias is said to have suffered a cut to an eyebrow and two officers were reportedly taken to hospital with foot and knee injuries."
It was also reported that Matias spent four hours in a holding cell before being released.
This isn't the first time Matias has had a run in with the law. In 2008, Matias was arrested for having a firearm in his holster in the same city.
Lionel had his share of troubles with the law as well. Earlier this year, Lionel and his father, Jorge, were accused of withholding earnings between 2007 and 2009 by funneling income through companies in Belize and Uruguay responsible for selling the soccer star's image rights. The contracts involved companies like Danone, Adidas, Pepsi-Cola and Procter and Gamble.
The case against them claims they've defrauded the government of over €4m. Both Lionel and his father categorically denied this and still are awaiting trial.
It is not known if Matias will be charged with possessing this gun illegally. As for his brother Lionel, he is out eight weeks after tearing his internal collateral ligament during a game against Las Palmas last month. He is currently off his crutches and set to resume soccer activities in the coming weeks.
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