Paris Saint-Germain will reportedly be without Lionel Messi for its upcoming two Ligue 1 fixtures, as the club has handed him a two-week suspension for taking an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia.
Messi signed off on a deal last year to serve as a tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia, and he made plans to travel to the country following PSG’s Ligue 1 home fixture against Lorient in order to honor his sponsorship agreement.
Messi ended up missing PSG’s scheduled training session on Monday. This move from the Argentine forward reportedly “surprised” some PSG players, especially as the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner reportedly did not receive the green light from the club to take this trip.
According to RMC Sport, this decision from PSG “highlights the new sports policy put in place.”
The report adds that PSG is showing that “no player is above the institution.”
PSG will now have to rely on other players to step up in Messi’s absence. PSG currently sits at a mere five points above second-place side Olympique de Marseille atop the Ligue 1 standings.
