PSG has suspended Lionel Messi after the World Cup winner went on an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia. Messi is said to have begged PSG for permission to visit the nation, which he did on Sunday night after twice canceling a scheduled business trip there owing to team losses. Messi, however, did not get such authorization, and as a result, following a day of talks with the club’s administration, he was given a two-game suspension and a two-week pay punishment. On Monday, the 35-year-old was photographed in Riyadh and announced his visit on social media. Messi already represents Saudi Arabia’s tourist industry.
The amount of response from the club, who have decided from public comment, is evidence of a new strategy at PSG, led by president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, where everyone will be subject to the same laws and no one will be greater than the club. Messi won’t play against Troyes or Ajaccio in the forthcoming Ligue 1 games, although he may play against Auxerre on May 21. The World Cup champion is nearing the end of a two-year term with the Ligue 1 leaders, and it was claimed that before signing a new deal, he wanted to see their sports intentions for the upcoming season.
When Lionel Messi contract with PSG expires this summer, Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal wants to sign him. With the support of the nation, they are willing to pay him an absurd £400 million for just one season in order to market a league that also features Cristiano Ronaldo and the 2022 World Cup winner. Only hours after Messi had played the full 90 minutes of PSG’s 3-1 home loss to Lorient, which reduced their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to just five points with as many games remaining, tourism minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb tweeted a welcome to Messi and posted pictures of the Argentina World Cup winner.
By speaking with La Liga about creating more flexibility in their Financial Fair Play ratio, Barcelona has already made an attempt to boost up their attempts to make Messi a contract offer this summer. With the goal of trying to re-sign Messi for what is expected to be his final season in European football, the club is in discussions with the league about the spending caps for the upcoming season.
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