Lionel Messi was punished by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The former Barcelona player was banned from playing and not paid for two weeks. The sentence for Lionel Messi was given by PSG following the action of the superstar who visited Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, without asking the club’s approval.
Chronology of Lionel Messi’s Sanction
The sanction given by PSG to Lionel Messi is closely related to the result of the match against Lorient in Week 33 of Ligue 1 or the 2022-2023 French League. The PSG vs Lorient duel at the Parc des Princes Stadium, Sunday (30/4/2023) ended with a score of 1-3. The defeat made PSG coach Christophe Galtier’s plans to take his squad on vacation for two days not materialized.
ESPN reports that Galtier originally wanted to give PSG players a day off on May 1 to May 2, 2023. The condition is that they have to beat Lorient. Galtier and PSG’s sporting director, Luis Campos, also gave Messi the green light to go to Saudi Arabia to carry out his duties as the country’s tourism ambassador.
However, the defeat to Lorient made Galtier summon the PSG players to undergo training on Monday (1/5/2023). Lionel Messi missed the training and flew to Saudi Arabia without seeking further club approval.
Saudi Arabia’s partnership with Messi is one of the Middle Eastern country’s efforts to succeed in its mission to run for the 2030 World Cup. Quoting L’Equipe news, Messi’s trip to Saudi Arabia cannot be rescheduled.
“Travel planned in advance of Sunday’s defeat and cannot be rescheduled,” citing L’Equipe reports. “Twice, Messi had to cancel this trip after disappointing results for the team, especially after defeats to Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the Champions League (0-1, 0-2) on 14 February and 8 March,” wrote L’Equipe again.
This situation is said to have made the PSG players unhappy. PSG then took quick steps to discipline Messi. A penalty was imposed for the 2022 World Cup champion.
RMC Sports wrote that Messi was banned from competing and training with the team for two weeks. Not only that, Messi will also not receive his salary during this period.
The suspension will keep Lionel Messi out of PSG’s next two matches against Troyes and Ajaccio. The duel against Troyes is scheduled to be held at the Stade de l’Aube on Sunday (7/5/2023). Meanwhile, the match against Ajaccio will take place at the PSG headquarters, namely at the Parc des Princes Stadium on Saturday (13/5/2023).
Meanwhile, PSG is currently trying to maintain its top position in the standings to win the 2022-2023 French League title. However, PSG received a threat from Marseille. PSG is now in first place with 75 points, while Marseille is right behind them with 70 points.
