Lionel Messi's visit to Port Gentil continues to cause controversy

The opposition party, Union du Peuple Gabonais (UPG), criticized the attire of the Argentinean star on the day of his visit and considered it a lack of respect for standards and principles. Messi, along with President Ali Bongo Ondimba, laid the first stone of the Port Gentil Stadium but did not escape the harsh criticism of the party.

"The football messiah arrived in Gabon as if he were going to the zoo: dirty, unshaven, hands in pockets, ready to look for peanuts and throw them at us. When you are Lionel Messi and a multimillionaire, you don't have the right to show up in a republic, even if it's a banana republic, with your hands in your pockets wearing shorts. Gabon is not a zoo." It seems that the opposition did not appreciate Messi's appearance at the Port Gentil Stadium.