Reason Behind PSG Decision To Punish Lionel Messi Over Saudi Trip

• Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly handed Lionel Messi a two-week suspension
• The Argentine phenomenon visited Saudi Arabia this week on an unauthorised trip
• The real reason why the Ligue 1 giants' hierarchy punished Messi has been revealed

It is possible that Paris Saint-Germain's clash against Lorient on Saturday was Lionel Messi's final match for the Parisians.

The French giants have suspended the 2022 World Cup winner following his unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia, which infuriated club president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

And now, the Qatari businessman reportedly wants to use Messi as an example for the rest of the PSG squad.

According to the French news outlet, RMC, Messi is the ambassador for Saudi Arabia's tourism campaigns after signing a €30 million contract.

The Argentine maestro visited the nation for a 'personal promotional trip' and requested permission from the team to go after twice postponing business trips there, Skysports reports.

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The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner then flew to the Middle Eastern nation despite not receiving that permission, skipping PSG training as a result.

PSG wants Messi as example

Some at the club were incensed by Messi's unapproved absence and on Tuesday night, it was revealed he had been suspended for two weeks.

During that time, the Argentine captain will not train or play in any games, and he will not receive pay.

Per RMC, PSG president, Al-Khelaifi is the one driving the decision because he wants to send a message to any other players who might be considering doing something similar.

The Parisians currently have a number of stars on their roster, with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar both having status equal to that of Messi within the club.

According to a tweet by journalist, Ben Jacobs, Al-Khelaifi is eager to shift power away from the stars in the squad.

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"Messi’s suspension is evidence of a shifting tone at PSG towards more discipline and an attempted culture change away from player power (traditionally led by star names at PSG)."

Jacobs added that PSG had taken action because they no longer tolerated Messi's behaviour and did not feel another profession would either.

Messi’s Barcelona return in jeopardy

Meanwhile, Sports Brief reported that Barcelona’s dream of a Messi reunion this summer suffered a major setback after failing to convince La Liga of its viability plan.

The Catalan giants are still battling with their 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 targets they set in their viability plan to cut costs, which could put the Messi deal in jeopardy.