#2 Leo’s controversial visit to Gabon
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It was the time when Lionel Messi was going through a rough patch, for his alleged involvement in tax evasion with his father. Till then, the Barcelona player was the last person football fans would point fingers at when they spoke about corruption. But Messi’s activities during the Copa America season in 2015, caused raised eyebrows, and paved the way for a lot of speculative stories about his corrupt way of handling and making money.
In 2015, the Barcelona legend arrived in Gabon, the former French colony, as a guest of controversial President Ali Bongo. Leo was invited for officially laying the foundation stones for a new stadium in the city of Port-Gentil.
With Ali Bongo linked to corruption and human rights abuses, the Argentine’s visit became controversial as stories cropped up, on how he received at least £2.4 million in cash for supporting one of the most corrupt dictators in Africa.
