Lionel Messi has apologised for his trip to Saudi Arabia without informing his club Paris Saint-Germain after PSG suspended him.
“I apologize to my teammates and I’m waiting for what the club wants to do with me,” he said. “I thought we were going to have a day off after the game as always. I had this trip organized and I couldn’t cancel it. I had already cancelled it before…”.
Messi was supposed to practice with his team following a 3-1 defeat at home against Lorient in Ligue 1 on Sunday but instead flew to Saudi Arabia, leading to his suspension of two weeks by the club.
The Argentina FIFA World Cup winner was banned from playing or training with the team, and his pay was reportedly docked during his suspension.
As a result, the 35-year-old would miss the upcoming Ligue 1 matches against Troyes and Ajaccio but might return for the match against Auxerre on May 21.
The affair has made it increasingly unlikely that Messi will remain at PSG beyond this season, when his two-year contract with the club expires.
A source with knowledge of the disciplinary procedure told AFP that Messi would be sidelined for “several days”, and he is therefore set to play no part in PSG’s match against Troyes this weekend in Ligue 1.
Various media in France said he would be suspended for two weeks, although AFP has not been able to confirm those reports.
PSG, who are five points clear at the top of Ligue 1, will have just four more matches remaining this season following their game against Troyes.
“We will see when Leo comes back. We will see what happens. Obviously there will be discussions with the club as a whole but also with Leo because this concerns him first and foremost,” PSG coach Christophe Galtier said on Friday when asked if Messi would play for the team again.
Galtier also said that the decision to suspend the 35-year-old Messi was not his to take in the first place.
“It wasn’t my decision to take. I was informed of the decision and I defer to it,” he insisted.
(with inputs from AFP)
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