According to sources who spoke to ESPN, Paris Saint-Germain have handed Lionel Messi a two-week suspension for skipping training on Monday so he could travel to Saudi Arabia.
During his suspension, Messi will not be allowed to train or play with the first team, and he will not be compensated financially.
It was first reported by the French newspaper L'Equipe that the manager of Paris Saint-Germain, Christophe Galtier, informed his players that they would get two days off, Monday and Tuesday, if they won their game against Lorient on Sunday, but that if they lost, the players would have to come for training on Monday.
Messi, who is 35 years old, inquired as to whether or not he would be permitted to travel to the Arab Gulf in order to honor his sponsorship arrangement as a Saudi ambassador. Galtier and sporting director Luis Campos gave him the green light to go in the event of a win or a draw, but a loss would prevent him from leaving.
However, following Paris Saint-Germain's humiliating 3-1 loss to Lorient—their third loss in their most recent four league games—Messi flew to Saudi Arabia without asking again for permission, according to sources who spoke to ESPN. As a result, he was unable to attend Monday's training session.
According to sources who spoke to ESPN, the incident caused tensions to arise within the locker room because some players were upset about what had happened.
At the climax of the current campaign, Lionel Messi's contract with Parc des Princes will come to an end. The continuing discussions between the World Cup champion and his management team regarding an extension of their contract add another layer of complexity to the situation.
At the conclusion of the current campaign, Messi's contract at the Parc des Princes will come to an end.
Messi's former club, Barcelona, is investigating the idea of re-signing him, despite the fact that LaLiga president Javier Tebas has stated that the league will not alter its financial fair play laws in order to accommodate his return. In addition, the Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal and the Major League Soccer club Inter Miami have shown interest in signing him.
