Following his unauthorized absence from training to visit Saudi Arabia, World Cup winner Lionel Messi has reportedly been suspended by PSG for two weeks without pay.
The 35-year-old was seen on Monday in Riyadh; according to the French publication L’Equipe, he has been docked two weeks’ worth of pay and won’t be participating in team training during that time.
He would be absent from the Ligue 1 games against Troyes and Ajaccio coming up, but he could play against Auxerre on May 21.
🚨 Paris Saint-Germain have decided to suspend Lionel Messi with immediate effect for two weeks, sources confirm.
The suspension will take place now after Messi’s trip to Saudi NOT authorized by the club as per @RMCSport.
Messi side, still waiting on official communication. pic.twitter.com/j223WK2r5Z
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 2, 2023
Messi, who is in the final months of a two-year contract with the Ligue 1 leaders, reportedly wanted to see their sporting plans for the upcoming season before agreeing to a new deal last month, according to Sky Sports News.
There is no evidence that Al Hilal’s offer, for a one-year contract worth reportedly £400 million, had anything to do with his trip, but he was also given the option to play for them. Messi already represents the nation’s tourism industry in the Middle Eastern region.
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 LaLiga about creating more flexibility in their Financial Fair Play ratio, Barcelona has already made an attempt to step up their efforts to make Messi a contract offer this summer.
With the goal of trying to re-sign Messi for what is likely to be his final season in European football, the club is in discussions with the league about their spending caps for the upcoming season.
It won’t be simple, though, as Barcelona was forced to re-register Gavi as an academy player after being charged by LaLiga for exceeding their limit with three players during the 2021–22 season, including ex–Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen.
