Messi has 31 goals and 34 assists in 71 games for PSG in all competitions, and the club won the Ligue 1 title last season
Lionel Messi has apologized to his PSG teammates and stated that he will wait for the club to decide what to do with him following an unapproved trip to Saudi Arabia.
Following PSG’s third defeat in six games, Lionel Messi was suspended for two weeks for traveling to Saudi Arabia.
Before leaving, Messi played the whole 90 minutes in PSG’s home loss to Lorient on Sunday.
Messi apologized in an Instagram video, saying, “I am sorry for what I did and I wait to see what the club decides.
He also stated that he expected them to have the day off after the game, as they had in previous weeks, and that he had planned the trip to Saudi Arabia, which he was powerless to cancel.
PSG manager Christophe Galtier has distanced himself from Messi’s suspension, which came after the footballer visited Saudi Arabia, stating he had “nothing to do with” it.
Galtier also criticised fan protests outside the residences of players.
“Leo’s suspension has added to poor performances, we can’t hide behind that,” he remarked, adding that he had been notified of the decision and that the situation had not been nice.
Following his trip, which he had organized and claimed he was entitled to after playing 90 minutes in PSG’s recent encounter, the club fined and suspended Messi for two weeks.
PSG presently leads Ligue 1 by five points with five games remaining. They were, however, eliminated from the Champions League and defeated in the French Cup’s last 16 round.
Following their defeat to Lorient, fans protested and gathered outside Brazilian striker Neymar’s home on Wednesday, pushing for him to quit the club. The 31-year-old, though, will miss the rest of the season owing to an ankle injury.
The club has beefed up security at Messi’s, Neymar’s, midfielder Marco Verratti’s, and manager Christophe Galtier’s houses, as well as at the training complex.
Galtier criticised the demonstrations and highlighted the importance of respecting the players’ private lives.
Galtier acknowledged the supporters’ dissatisfaction and fury over the team’s recent dismal performance, but he strongly opposed the recent protests outside the players’ houses, emphasizing that private lives must be kept private.
While fans have the right to protest, he stressed that they should do it in a regulated and safe place, such as at the training ground or after a match at the Parc des Princes, rather than outside players’ homes.
Galtier was particularly concerned about the possibility of such protests becoming unrestrained and dangerous.