MY ACCOUNT
Lionel Messi’s unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia which led to him being suspended by Paris St Germain included activities such as feeding gazelles and visiting a luxury retail complex.
That is according to a release from the Middle East state’s tourism authority, who have shared details of the excursion that has seen the World Cup winner suspended for two weeks by his club and also docked a fortnight’s wages.
The Argentine World Cup set off for Saudi Arabia following Sunday’s match against Lorient without club consent, the PA news agency understands.
A release issued on behalf of the Saudi Tourism Authority on Wednesday said Messi and his family had “indulged in a fine-dining experience” at the Al Bujairi Terrace.
It also noted that Messi had visited the VIA Riyadh luxury retail complex and the 300-year-old UNESCO World Heritage Site in Diriyah.
Before heading to Diriyah, the family had been to a farm where they fed Arabian gazelles.
Amnesty International said earlier this year that Messi’s ambassador role with Saudi Arabia was part of the country’s “aggressive sportswashing programme”, with Saudi authorities “seeking to exploit the celebrity appeal of elite sport to deflect attention from the country’s appalling human rights record”.
The unauthorised trip has thrown Messi’s future in Paris into the spotlight again.
The 35-year-old has already faced jeers from fans in recent matches, despite his 24 goals for the club this season.
The superstar does not appear to fit with president Nasser Al Khelaifi’s attempts to move away from a “bling bling” culture and instead focus on a strategy of recruiting and developing top French talent.
Renewing Kylian Mbappe’s contract a year ago is seen by the PSG hierarchy as being part of that strategy, but for Messi it appears the writing is on the wall in Paris, with his contract up in the summer.
