Lionel Messi Suspended & Fined by PSG Over Unauthorised Saudi Arabia Trip

• Paris Saint-Germain have handed a two-week suspension to Lionel Messi
• Messi visited Saudi Arabia this week on an unauthorized trip
• The news follows the team's Sunday defeat at home to Lorient

Paris Saint-Germain have suspended Lionel Messi for two weeks after his unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia.

The trip followed the French club's home defeat by Lorient on Sunday, in which Messi played the full 90 minutes.

Neither Galtier nor sporting adviser Luis Campos approved the trip, so the club opened disciplinary proceedings.

As a result, the Argentina captain will not train or play for PSG during his suspension, BBC reports.

Per Sky Sports, he will miss the next two PSG games, at Troyes this Sunday and against Ajaccio on Saturday, May 13.

Messi, who the club has also fined, has a role as a tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia.

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The ex-Barcelona star's trip to the Middle East has reportedly enraged the club's supporters, who are frustrated with PSG because players can do whatever they want without regard for the institution. 

This summer marks the end of the World Cup winner's two-year deal with PSG. Saudi top team, Al Hilal, are one of the teams interested in signing the Argentine.

UEFA declares Messi’s UCL titles

Meanwhile, Daily Post reports that UEFA has declared that Lionel Messi has won the Champions League only three times in his career.

Messi has been part of the Barcelona team since 2004 and played a pivotal role in Barcelona’s Champions League victories in 2009, 2011, and 2015 but not in their 2006 success.

UEFA declared that the Argentina international had won only three titles as he was not part of Barcelona’s squad in the 2006 final.

Messi’s return to Barcelona in jeopardy

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Barcelona’s big dream of reuniting with Lionel Messi this summer has suffered an enormous setback following the club’s failure to convince La Liga about its viability plan.

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The Catalan club is still battling with its financial crisis but had plans of bringing back their record goal-scorer, who left to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.

La Liga believes it will be challenging for Barcelona to meet the demands and targets they set in their viability plan to cut costs, as they try by all means to sign Messi.