Report: PSG suspend Messi 2 weeks for unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia

Lionel Messi was suspended for two weeks and fined by Paris Saint-Germain after making an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia, as initially reported by French outlet RMC Sport.

The 35-year-old was reportedly in the Middle Eastern country to carry out sponsorship duties, according to Tariq Panja of The New York Times.

Messi was unveiled as a Saudi Arabia tourism ambassador in May 2022.

PSG decided to ban the Argentine World Cup winner after he missed a training session while in Saudi Arabia without the club's knowledge, according to Julien Laurens of ESPN. He won't be paid during the suspension and will be prohibited from training alongside his teammates.

The suspension means he'll likely miss two of PSG's last five games (against Troyes and Ajaccio) before the Ligue 1 season ends. PSG are first in Ligue 1 with a five-point advantage.

It could also signal the beginning of the end to his time in the French capital, with uncertainty over Messi's future growing as he enters the final weeks of his two-year contract.

Messi has 15 goals and 15 assists in 28 Ligue 1 appearances this season after a disappointing debut campaign in France.