On Friday, Lionel Messi issued an apology for traveling to Saudi Arabia without permission, which resulted in his club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) suspending Argentina's World Cup-winning captain.
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Messi apologized to his 458 million Instagram followers in a video sent on the social media platform. "I obviously want to apologize to my teammates and to the club," he added.
After missing training on Monday, the day after their 3-1 home loss to Lorient in Ligue 1, the Qatar-owned team suspended him.
Instead, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner left without PSG's consent to meet obligations under a deal with Saudi Arabia's tourism board.
"I honestly thought we were going to have the day off after the match, as had happened in the previous weeks," he said.
"After canceling a prior vacation, I planned this one for Saudi Arabia. I was unable to cancel it this time. I regret my actions and will wait to see what the club decides.
Messi's likelihood of staying at PSG through this season, when his two-year contract with the team expires, has grown less likely as a result of the scandal.
Messi is not expected to participate in PSG's Ligue 1 encounter against Troyes this weekend, according to a source familiar with the disciplinary process who told AFP that he will miss "several days" of action.
He would be suspended for two weeks, according to a number of French media outlets, although AFP was unable to independently verify the reports.
After their encounter against Troyes, PSG, who leads Ligue 1 by five points, will have just four more games left to play.
"When Leo returns, we shall see. We'll have to wait and see. Leo will also be discussed because this mostly affects him, said PSG coach Christophe Galtier on Friday in response to a question about whether Messi will return to the team.
Galtier said that he was not the one who made the choice to suspend the 35-year-old Lionel Messi in the first place.
"I didn't choose to do it. I defer to the judgment since I was aware of it, but he insisted.
This week, PSG supporters demonstrated in front of the club's headquarters and even congregated outside Neymar's home in the Paris suburb of Bougival to express their displeasure with the way the club has been managed recently under Qatari ownership.
As a result, the team has increased security at their practice facility and at Messi and Neymar's residences.
Since his high-profile transfer from Barcelona, Lionel Messi has only been with the team for a little under two years.
In 71 games for the French champions, who won Ligue 1 last season, he has scored 31 goals.
This season, Lionel Messi has scored 20 goals in all competitions, and he leads Ligue 1 in assists with 15.
His performance, along with that of the majority of the PSG squad, has dropped since helping Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar.
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