PSG suspends Lionel Messi for unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia

Argentina star Footballer Lionel Messi has been suspended for two weeks by Paris Saint-Germain as he went to Saudi Arabia without permission for a personal professional trip. His deal with PSG will end in Summer.

Messi was expected to ask PSG for permission to be able to travel to the country on Sunday, having postponed a scheduled commercial trip there twice previously due to a series of defeats of his team.

However, the World Cup winner did not do that and therefore has been suspended for two games and fined two weeks’ wages a day after a meeting between the hierarchy of the club.

On Monday, Messi clicked a picture in Riyadh and announced his arrival in the country through his social media. The 35-year-old already serves as a tourism ambassador of Saudi Arabia.

Messi is now all set to miss the upcoming Ligue 1 matches against Troyes and Ajaccio, but is expected to return for the match against on May 21st.

As Messi is in the final months of his two-year deal with PSG, Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal want to sign him in the coming Summer when his previous deal ends with the Ligue 1 leaders. For this, the club is also ready to give him the amount of £400m for just one season in order to market a league that also features Portuguese star, Cristiano Ronaldo.

‘Happy to welcome Messi and his family to Saudi’ – Ahmed Al-Khateeb

Saudi Arabia Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb also welcomed Messi in his country on Monday with a Tweet by putting a picture of him along with his family.

“I am happy to welcome Messi and his family to Saudi to enjoy the magical tourist destinations and authentic experiences,” Al-Khateeb tweeted. “We welcome visitors from all around the world to experience a unique trip to Saudi Arabia and its hospitality,” Al-Khateeb Tweeted.

Meanwhile, on the other hand, Barcelona are also making various efforts to bring Messi to their club in the coming summer. The claim that LaLiga generates more flexibility in their Financial Fair Play ratio.

However, it would not be easy for Barca as they have charged by the League for breaching their limit with three players during the 2021-22 season, including ex-Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen and were forced to re-register Gavi as an academy player.