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Lionel Messi Slammed for 'Partying with Oppressors' by Human Rights Foundation

Lionel Messi in the wake of his recent visit to Gabon, accusing the Barcelona icon of “partying with oppressors.”

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 the HRF, per Marca:

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