Lionel Messi Slammed By Human Rights Foundation For 'Partying with Oppressors'.

Messi

The Human Rights Foundation has issued a scathing attack on Lionel Messi in the wake of his recent visit to Gabon, accusing the Barcelona icon of “partying with oppressors.” Read what they said after cut

Messi was in the country last month to apparently fulfil a promise he made to president Ali Bongo, laying the first brick of a new stadium in Port-Gentil. But the player standing alongside the figurehead of this controversial regime has drawn plenty of criticism, most recently from HRF President Thor Halvorssen, per Marca:

In providing PR services to Gabon's Bongo family, Lionel Messi has seriously undermined the credibility of his own charitable foundation.

Whereas Messi claims to support children's rights, and even serves as a UNICEF ambassador to promote youth education, he has endorsed a kleptocratic regime that refuses to investigate the ritual murder of children in Gabon.

HRF's chief strategy officer, Alex Gladstein, added, "If Messi wants to do good in Gabon, HRF recommends that rather than partying with oppressors, he release a statement in solidarity with the country's persecuted dissidents and environmentalists, and press the regime to investigate the ritual murders of children."

According to French outlet France Football (h/t the Daily Mail's Peter Allen), Messi was paid a reported £2.4 million in cash for visiting the country, but that claim has been denied, per EFE (h/t Sport).

Messi has been lambasted for showing solidarity with a government Allen describes as “corrupt” in his piece. The Union du Peuple Gabonais, the political opposition to Bongo, accused the Barca man of treating the country like he was “going to a zoo,” per Ian Holyman of ESPN FC. A source in Allen’s piece also implored Messi to “do a bit of research into what Bongo represents.”

As noted here by BBC's Oluwashina Okeleji, the brick which Messi put in place has apparently gone missing too:

Bongo is a hugely controversial leader. Not only has he been accused of the killing of children and various human rights breaches, he’s also had to withstand claims of electoral fraud, per beIN Sports.

The country is set to host the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, but as part of the HRF’s statement, Halvorssen cast aspersions over their credibility to do so, per Joe Wright of Goal.com:


Messi's trip is part of the Bongo family's PR campaign to promote the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, which Gabon will host at enormous expense despite the fact that the Bongo family's embezzlement has left 20 per cent of the population to live on less than $2 per day.

For Messi, this has been a public relations disaster. While the Argentina skipper has been unanimously respected by the football world for his majesty on the pitch, his work off it with charities—such as UNICEF, per Aaron Flanagan of the Daily Mirror—have only enhanced his popularity. But this venture to Gabon has drawn negative focus.

To have one of the world’s most prestigious figures showing backing for the maligned Bongo regime will be a big blow for those striving for a brighter future for Gabon. However, criticism of Messi is yet to draw any reaction from the player himself.

photo credit STEVE JORDAN/Getty Images and Jean Catuffe/Getty Images