Leaving for Saudi Arabia on May 1, without the authorization of his club, for a two-day trip, Lionel Messi is sanctioned by PSG. The capital club decided on Tuesday, May 2, to suspend the seven-time Argentinian Ballon d’Or. According The Team And RMC Sportshe was laid off for two weeks.
The sluggish end of the PSG season, between disappointing results and deep crisis, gets a little more complicated with a new controversial episode around Lionel Messi. The Argentinian, who arrived in the capital club almost two years ago, is punished. His escapade in the Gulf earned him a suspension.
The imbroglio began on Sunday April 30, with the defeat of Paris Saint-Germain at home in Ligue 1 against FC Lorient (1-3). A setback which should not prevent the Parisians from finishing champions of France but which does a little more task in a 2022-2023 season not up to expectations.
According to the newspapers The Team And The Parisian, the PSG players could have benefited from two days of rest, Monday May 1 and Tuesday May 2, in the event of victory. But defeated, they were finally entitled to only one day of rest, May 2. Monday, Lionel Messi was however absent subscribers.
The Argentinian star flew on a two-day trip to Saudi Arabia, as part of a partnership with the local tourist office. The world champion had already had to cancel this operation twice in Riyadh due to previous poor results, indicates The Team. In the Argentinian clan, it is argued that this trip could not be canceled a third time. And this despite the absence of agreement from PSG for him to go to Saudi Arabia.
An increasingly uncertain future
During the day, in the French press, there was talk of a possible sanction against the former Barcelonan. It finally fell in the early evening. The Team And RMC Sports announced a two-week suspension effective immediately. Agence France Presse does not confirm this duration and evokes a suspension of “several days”, just like Le Parisien.
If he is suspended for the next 15 days, Leo Messi would therefore miss the May 7 match in Troyes and the May 13 match at the Parc des Princes against Ajaccio. He would be back for the meetings in Auxerre (May 21), Strasbourg (May 27) and against Clermont at home (June 3).
It remains to be seen what the future of the man nicknamed “La Pulga” (“The Flea”) will be. Soon to be 36, the Argentinian will be at the end of his contract on June 30, 2023. According to various rumours, FC Barcelona would seek to bring him back, and Inter Miami, the American club owned by David Beckham, would be in the running. . There is also talk of PSG’s desire to extend it. But after such a sanction, Messi’s future in Rouge et Bleu does not seem so obvious.