World champion Lionel Messi is to be suspended by the French top football club Paris St. Germain because of an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia. As the AFP news agency reported on Tuesday, PSG had opened disciplinary proceedings and wanted to exclude the superstar "for a few days" from training and matches.

After the weekend, photos of the Argentine and his family from Saudi Arabia surfaced. Messi is an excellently paid tourism ambassador for the kingdom, he had fulfilled sponsorship obligations in the capital Riyadh.

The 35-year-old apparently left a few hours after the league leaders' 1-3 home defeat against FC Lorient on Sunday.

Messi's departure from Paris has been discussed for months. Saudi Arabia could be a target, where his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo is currently playing for Al-Nassr. A return to FC Barcelona also seems possible.