Michael Schumacher fans were the latest victims of an April Fool's Day prank this 2016. Unfortunately, what seemed to be a humorous bid to celebrate the annual event turned into a highly-criticized report when it falsely detailed Schumacher's health condition, attracting many furious responses from the F1 superstar's fans.
On Apr. 1, diehard Michael Schumacher fans got the shock of their lives when Sportsrageous reported that the seven-time Formula One champion has finally recovered from his injuries and has been preparing for his comeback on the race track. While the report is what the fans have been waiting for in years, the online news site revealed that the story, which was already been taken down, was just an April Fool's Day hoax, Ecumenical News reveals.
Even though it's understandable that the publication wanted to share some humorous stories, the false report on Michael Schumacher's health condition was written wrongly. News Everyday even claims that Sportsrageous "crossed a line" in spreading false claims that Schumacher has fully recovered.
"Call it a prank or not, the idea behind the post was to mislead readers and to generate site traffic using false means," News Everyday wrote. "The most reliable source of any information related to the racer and his health is Sabine Kehm or his family."
Meanwhile, Michael Schumacher's family, who are known to use legal actions against false reports, has yet to respond on the false news. But this April Fool's Day prank seemed to explain why the Schumacher's family wanted a media blackout.
The recent false report on Michael Schumacher's health condition also proved that his longtime manager and spokesperson Sabine Kehm was right on her decision not to divulge any information about Schumacher. Kehm once stressed that keeping mum avoids unwarranted speculations and misinterpretations from the media, a previous report notes.
"At the moment, I see no alternative," Kehm said, as Zee News quotes. "Every sentence is a catalyst for new inquiries, every word is a beacon for further information. It never dies down."
As of late, Michael Schumacher is currently undergoing an extensive rehabilitation program at the comforts of his home in Geneva, Switzerland. He is reportedly under the care of 15 medical experts at a highly-secured and state-of-the-art custom built suite 24/7.
