“Break”. This is how newspapers make their headlines this Wednesday. L’Equipe On its cover with a photo of Lionel Messi and Nasser Al-KhelaifiPresident of Paris Saint-Germain. According to the main French sports newspaper, the harsh sanction against the Argentine star heralds his farewell from the Parque de los Príncipes as of June 30. PSG management decided to punish Messi the previous day. two weeks without playing or training For going to Saudi Arabia on Monday and missing a workout – and not getting the corresponding part of his multimillion-dollar salary. A serious measure that seems like the first step le parisianIt’s about the “divorce” between the former Barça captain and the group owned by Qatar.
This newspaper, which closely follows the news of the capital as a whole, says, “A loophole that will leave a 48-hour mark and must have important consequences.” Messi’s absence from training on Monday did not bode well for PSG’s upper echelons. From the club, this is a unauthorized travel and neither coach Christophe Galtier nor his teammates were aware of it. The Argentine’s entourage said they had informed the leaders. However, after the unexpected defeat against Lorient (1-3) on Sunday, the situation changed. If the Parisians had won, they would have had two holidays. And a trip to Riyadh would not cause any controversy.
A “fantastic” penalty
But they lost and Messi seems to be the guinea pig of the new world. discipline policy from PSG. “This amazing decision (…) could be a historic break for the club from the capital,” he says. L’Equipe. The sports newspaper recalls the will of Galtier and sports director Luis Campos not to let go of the lack of discipline of some of the team’s galactics. Despite their announcement last summer, only classic fines or on-time substitutions have been applied to players arriving late to practice since then.
The Argentine star finally got one. the harshest sanctions It has been imposed on a Parisian player since the Qataris took over the club in 2011. That penalty is far more severe than the one handed down in 2016 to winger Serge Aurier, who was banned from playing and training for six days after insulting his partner on social media Coach Laurent Blanc. “Paris, often criticized for its weakness, I wanted to give an example and send the message that even the total crack (…) is not above the institution,” he recalls. L’Equipe.
“End of the story” between Messi and PSG
“But the implications of this decision (…) go even further. In taking such a sanction, PSG officially marks the end of the story with Flea In the City of Light. Neither more nor less,” adds this medium. While deviations from the football scenario cannot be ruled out, harsh sanctions reinforce the privileged hypothesis in recent months: Messi will not be renewed with PSG, despite a voluntary clause in his contract to extend it for another year. “Who would have thought that the story would end like this?” she asks herself resignedly. L’Equipe.
Just four months ago, everything pointed to a different outcome. During the World Cup in Qatar, there was talk of a preliminary agreement between Al-Khelaïfi and the striker’s father and manager, Jorge Messi. But these fluent conversations became rare after the epic World Cup final between Argentina and France. Messi disliked that the club did not hold a memorial service for him at the Parque de los Principes after he was declared world champion. Then came the repeated whistles against him after the European qualifier against Bayern Munich. And his numbers this season are excellent: a total of 20 goals and 19 assists in all competitions. Only Haaland and Mbappé were more determined in their club than the Argentine.
Messi’s father met with PSG leaders a few weeks ago. At that time, it was already seen that negotiations have come to a standstillDespite Qatar’s insistence on Al-Khelaïfi to renew the Ballon d’Or seven times, the possibility of a further season or two at the Parc des Princes was already being traded before the controversy over the Riyadh trip. It’s time to speculate about Argentina’s future after “Broken” is made visible. The French press is talking about an incident. Return to Barça possibledespite being hampered by “hard budget demands weighing on the Spanish giant”. But it also talks about an eventual gold withdrawal in the United States or Saudi Arabia. Everything started here.