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In a video posted on Instagram on Friday, Lionel Messi apologized to his teammates and Paris Saint-Germain for his unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia, which earned him a two-week internal suspension.
Fault confessed is half redressed ? It may be Lionel Messi’s bet, who on Friday May 5 apologized in an Instagram video to his teammates and Paris Saint-Germain. At the origin of the controversy, his unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia. A getaway that will have cost the Argentine star rather expensive, back in Paris: fifteen days of internal suspension.
“I apologize to my teammates and await the club’s decision. I apologize to my partners and the club,” the player explained in Spanish in a short video.
“I sincerely thought that we were going to have a day off after the match, as we had in the previous weeks. I had organized this trip and I could not cancel it, I had already canceled it before,” he added.
PSG suspended the Argentine world champion on Tuesday several days after a trip to Saudi Arabia as part of a partnership with the tourist office of this country, carried out without the agreement of its leaders. During this suspension, he does not train, does not play and is not paid.
Christophe Galtier, this employee
According to several media, it will last two weeks, information that the club did not confirm to AFP. Earlier in the day, coach Christophe Galtier had not let go of this new affair which is shaking the club, in his press conference preceding the match in Troyes, Sunday for the 34e Ligue 1 day, the first since the suspension of the star.
The technician carefully kicked in touch, while leaving the door open to a return of his Argentine superstar. “I was informed at the start of the week by my management of their decision to suspend Leo. Once I was informed of the decision, I took the decision not to comment on it. I am an employee of the club , a decision has been made, I will not comment on it”, explained the Parisian coach two days before the trip to Troyes. “I didn’t have to make the decision,” he added.
Messi, whose departure from PSG is likely in June after two largely disappointing seasons, should normally return to Ligue 1 grounds after this suspension. His public apology suggests a return for the last three days.
For Messi, “we’ll see”
“We will see when Leo comes back, we will see what will happen, obviously there will be discussions with the entire club, but also with Leo who is the first concerned”, slipped Christophe Galtier, who did not wish to comment further on this subject.
Former player and coach of PSG, Antoine Kombouaré lambasted Friday May 5 the “lynching” of the Argentinian, because “we do not touch Messi, whatever he does”.
Wednesday, May 3, the day after this new crisis, it was the supporters who expressed their dissatisfaction with the results and the situation of the club, in front of the headquarters of PSG and the home of Neymar. Several security guards were present on Friday May 4 near Camp des Loges.
“Regarding the meeting outside a player’s home, you have to be careful about that and private life is private life. I can understand the anger, the disappointment of our supporters, the demonstration in front of the headquarters, our workplace, but I do not accept that we go to a player’s home because there can be overflows because our society has gone crazy,” reacted the coach.
“Will we see Neymar again next season? I’m already very focused on our last five matches and we’ll see what happens next season,” Galtier kicked again.
“All focused and concerned”
During the rally in front of the PSG headquarters, the coach was also targeted by insults, like Messi, Neymar or Marco Verrati. “I’m exposed as a coach, I understand but I stay focused,” he continued.
After their sixth defeat this season, PSG, still the leader and on the way to winning their 11e title, moves to Troyes (18e22 points) on Sunday to try to get a break in this dark end to the season.
“Tell you that we are living in a pleasant period? No, I grant you that. But there is a goal to achieve and my players are working,” said Galtier, and “don’t think that my players don’t care when there is a defeat, I saw the reaction of the group, we are all concentrated and concerned”.
“It’s not enough but there is a title to go for (…), there is the reality of the locker room and it shows me that they want to seek the title. It’s an unhappy group when the team loses,” he said.
With AFP
