Lionel Messi's suspension by Paris Saint Germain was first reported by L'Equiipe. Following PSG's 3-1 defeat to Lorient, on Sunday in which Messi played 90 minutes, he flew out to Saudi Arabia in his role as a tourism ambassador. The Argentine World Cup winner's trip was not approved by manager Christophe Galtier and the club.
Why did Messi visit Saudi Arabia?
Messi signed a lucrative deal worth £25 million per year with Saudi Arabia in May last year to be its tourism ambassador. He visited Jeddah in May, before returning in January to play a friendly match with PSG against a team of Saudi League stars, facing off against longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi had planned his trip to Saudi Arabia before the defeat against Lorient, and it could not be rescheduled as it had already been postponed twice, including after PSG's last-16 Champions League exit to Bayern Munich.
The club announced that players would be in training on Monday and would have a day off on Tuesday after the loss against Lorient. Galtier had originally promised two days off if they had won against the mid-table Ligue 1 team.
However, the club had given players four days off last week, and many had taken the opportunity for a trip abroad, so every squad member was expected to be at their Camp des Loges training base on Monday. But Messi was not present, and he was in Riyadh on his Saudi Arabian trip.
Did Messi seek prior permission?
According to the Daily Mail, Messi had requested permission to participate in the trip. Still, neither Galtier nor sporting director Luis Campos granted it after confirming that the training schedule included only one day off. Messi then sought permission from the club's Qatari board. The Saudi minister of tourism, Ahmed Al-Khateeb, confirmed that Messi was in Saudi Arabia for his trip.
Messi’s absence from training was a significant topic of conversation among players on Monday, with several surprised that he had gone on the trip despite not being authorized to do so. PSG neither confirmed nor denied that Messi had not been authorized to make the trip.
The timing of this event is intriguing, as Messi’s future at PSG was unclear. It appears now that the seven-time Balon d'Or winner will leave the club at the end of the season.
“There are no doubts about that anymore. Behind the scenes, it’s now understood that Leo’s father, Jorge communicated the decision to PSG already one month ago due to the project. It was the final breaking point,” transfer window expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed.
In his 71 appearances for PSG, the Argentina stalwart has scored 31 goals in all competitions. Messi has also netted 20 goals this season in all competitions for PSG. With 15 assists, the ex-Barcelona superstar is also the leading assist-getter for the French club in Ligue 1.
