Ligue 1 leaders Paris St. Germain have suspended their star player Lionel Messi for two weeks. The suspension came as a result of an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia by the Argentinian footballer.
As per a report by RMC Sport, Messi’s suspension will be valid for the next two weeks and it could include no chance to play games and participate in group training. Messi will miss the upcoming Ligue 1 matches against Troyes and Ajaccio but might return for the match 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’s trip followed PSG’s surprise 3-1 loss to Lorient on Sunday, leaving the defending champions with a five-point lead over Marseille with five games left in the season. Lionel Messi played the entire 90 minutes.
L’Equipe had reported that PSG coach Christophe Galtier pledged to give his players two days off — Monday and Tuesday — if they beat Lorient. Instead, the team trained on Monday and had Tuesday off.
The World Cup-winning skipper whose contract with PSG is about to expire soon requested permission to take the trip, but PSG denied the request. The suspension comes at a very crucial moment for PSG, who had hoped to extend Messi’s contract beyond the current season.
With this suspension, the rumors about Messi not extending his contract with PSG becomes even more strong.
