Paris Saint-Germain have suspended Lionel Messi for taking an unauthorised family holiday in Saudi Arabia and the Argentine has been told he will not have his contract renewed, according to French sports daily L'Equipe.
Messi, 35, has a commercial contract with Saudi Arabia to promote tourism in the country but L'Equipe reported that his request to take a family holiday in the kingdom was denied by his club.
Messi and his family arrived in Riyadh on Monday. Messi, his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their sons spent their holiday visiting a Saudi farm, watching a palm-weaving demonstration and enjoying cultural activities.
The Argentine superstar's contract has an optional third-season clause from when he first arrived in 2021, though it has long been speculated he will not extend his stay at the Parc des Princes.
A two-week suspension means Messi will miss PSG's next two games, against Troyes and Ajaccio, but may return for the match against Auxerre on May 21.
PSG are top of the Ligue 1 standings with 75 points from 33 matches, five ahead of rivals Marseille. Messi started in PSG’s 3-1 home defeat by Lorient on Sunday.
L'Equipe had reported that PSG coach Christophe Galtier pledged to give his players two days off – Monday and Tuesday – if they beat Lorient. Instead, the team trained on Monday and had Tuesday off.
The forward joined PSG from Barcelona two years ago with hopes he could lead the team to an elusive Champions League title. Instead, the Qatari-backed club were eliminated in the round of 16 in consecutive seasons.
There has been speculation about where he would play next, especially after reports that contract talks with PSG had broken down. Some PSG fans have even booed Messi amid the team's inconsistent campaign.
Messi led Argentina to the World Cup title in December. He has scored 15 league goals and leads the French league with 15 assists this season.
He has been linked with a move back to former club Barcelona as well as a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia, with respected football journalist Fabrizio Romano last month reporting that Al Hilal were preparing a mega offer of €400 million ($441 million) a year.
Messi has yet to comment publicly about the suspension.
The years Ramadan fell in May
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
CHINESE GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)
5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The biog
Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer
Marital status: Single
Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran
Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food
Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish
Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The%20specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
'Joker'
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
Rating: Five out of five stars
