Gabon denies paying Messi millions
Print Edition
Gabon’s presidency denied paying four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi millions of dollars to lay the foundation stone for a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations stadium last weekend.
“The Republic of Gabon denies having paid, or even promised to pay, such a sum of money to the Argentinian international footballer Lionel Messi,” the presidency said in a statement on Tuesday. The 28-year-old multi-millionaire, who turned up unshaven and in a torn pair of shorts, travelled to capital Port-Gentil at the invitation of President Ali Bongo, according to the statement.
Messi “accompanied the head of state to Port-Gentil to lay the foundation stone for the town’s future stadium, in the perspective of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (which Gabon is hosting),” the statement added.
Messi’s presence at the event had caused controversy on social media, with many Gabonese questioning the cost of his visit to a country where over a third of the population live below the poverty line. The influential football weekly ‘France Football’ added fuel to the fire when it claimed the Barcelona maestro had received the 3.5 million euros (US$3.8 million) for his appearance.
Messi’s shabby look prompted a multitude of derisory remarks on Facebook with several Gabonese posting photos of themselves in shorts and flip-flops with a suitcase in one hand and a straw hat on their heads, pretending they were en route to South America.
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