Brazilian football club Corinthians were the target of a cyberattack after hackers infiltrated their official website to publish a fake announcement claiming Lionel Messi would join the club in 2027.
The fabricated statement, which misled fans, featured false financial details alongside fake quotes from the Argentine superstar regarding a move to Brazil.
The club swiftly removed the fraudulent post and confirmed that their official website had been compromised.
Corinthians confirmed that no financial losses or data breaches occurred as a result of the security breach.
The club temporarily took their main website and that of the Neo Química Arena offline to implement enhanced cybersecurity measures.
The incident occurred days after a similar cyberattack targeted local rivals Palmeiras, raising broader security concerns across Brazilian football platforms.
The breach followed a 2-0 victory for Corinthians, though the win was insufficient to move the team out of the league's relegation zone.