Lionel Messi has been suspended for two weeks after traveling to Saudi Arabia without permission from Paris Saint-Germain. Leading media in France report this.
PSG intervenes and suspends Messi after unauthorized trip
RMC Sport writes that the suspension is effective immediately. There was a lot of fuss on Tuesday when Messi was spotted in the Arab country, with which he has a sponsorship deal. Due to an agreement in his contract as tourism ambassador of Saudi Arabia, he had to visit the country.
Initially that seemed to be fine, because a day off was planned for the selection of the Parisians. However, after the debacle at home against Lorient (1-3 defeat), coach Christophe Galtier withdrew that day off. Only Messi didn’t care about that. He was spotted in the country and it soon became clear that PSG had not given permission for this trip.
PSG has finished football in all competitions except Ligue 1, so Messi only misses two matches due to this suspension. If the suspension is indeed imposed, Messi will not play against Troyes and AC Ajaccio.
Busquets makes a decision about the future, Xavi keeps hope
Speaking of Messi, more will soon become clear about his former teammate Sergio Busquets’ future at Barcelona. In his own words, the Spanish midfielder has made a choice.
Busquets has been with the Catalan club since 2005, but his contract is expiring and he is thinking about leaving. After the match won against Osasuna (1-0) he spoke: “I have more or less made up my mind about my future. I have a few days off now and when I return I will inform the coach.”
Xavi hopes to keep the midfielder, with whom he played in no fewer than 314 matches. The coach was asked about Busquets after the victory in Camp Nou. He said, “I’m going to try to convince him. He is very important in the dressing room and crucial for the team.I understand if he’s a little tired.” Still, Xavi would understand the decision to leave.
Meanwhile, speculation about Busquets’ future is in full swing. Obviously a longer stay at Barcelona is being discussed, but RAC1 knows the other option is a departure to Saudi Arabia.
