After traveling to Saudi Arabia without the club’s consent, Lionel Messi was banned by Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, casting doubt on his future at PSG.
The World Cup-winning captain of Argentina, 35, who is out of contract at the conclusion of the current campaign, will be sidelined for “several days,” according to a source familiar with the disciplinary process, despite reports in French media that he would be banned for two weeks.
He won’t be paid while disciplinary procedures are in effect, the source said, and he can’t practice or play.
Another unnamed insider said that “nobody is more important than the club” and predicted that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will “probably” miss a fortnight of action.
During PSG’s 3-1 home loss to Lorient in Ligue 1 on Sunday, Messi played the entire game.
He then made his way to Saudi Arabia to carry out business obligations in his capacity as the Gulf state’s tourist ambassador.
Messi “returned to Saudi for a second time, this time with his family,” the Saudi Tourism Authority said in a news statement on Wednesday. Messi was also treated to a display of palm weaving and fed Arabian gazelles.
Messi skipped a training session that was planned on Monday after the weekend loss due to the trip.
Tuesday was a rest day for the PSG team, and Messi skipped Wednesday’s workout as well.
‘FED UP WITH MERCENARIES’ –
Messi may now be unable to play when PSG returns to league play on Sunday at struggling Troyes.
If he was out for two weeks, he would also miss the team’s May 13 home game against Ajaccio.
The punishments make it even less likely that Messi will remain in Paris when his two-year contract ends at the conclusion of this season.
A club insider told AFP last month that he was now “much more likely” to leave after first seeming to prolong his stay for another year.
Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona, where he spent the most of his career, in 2021, but has had trouble maintaining his greatest performance there.
Despite this, he has made 71 appearances across all competitions and scored 31 goals.
A segment of the PSG fanbase has started jeering at him because they believe he represents everything the club has done wrong by concentrating on superstar acquisitions rather than developing a really competitive squad.
Messi has recorded 20 goals across all competitions this year and 15 assists, which leads Ligue 1.
His performance, along with that of the majority of the PSG squad, has dropped since helping Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar.
Their lackluster performance against Lorient was their sixth loss in 17 games played in Ligue 1 in 2023.
With five games remaining, they are still on track to win a record-tying 11th French championship since they are still five points ahead of Marseille at the top of the standings.
However, Bayern Munich eliminated them from the Champions League in the round of 16, and Marseille eliminated them from the French Cup at the same stage.
Meanwhile, hundreds of supporters gathered at the venue to demonstrate against Messi and PSG’s recent results.
We’ve had enough of mercenaries! Messi must be fired! Supporters yelled, “We must fire Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the club’s Qatari president.
The team’s “ultras” fans released a statement in which they asked, “Is there still a pilot on the plane? “, adding, “We are sincerely concerned about the future and the sustainability of our club.”
While this was going on, several videos shared on Twitter appeared to show Neymar’s black-clad fans gathered in front of his house and cursing at the hurt Brazilian superstar.
