Lionel Messi is coming under fire after firing all the staff from a luxury Spanish hotel that his company recently acquired.
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The hotel is known as MiM Sotogrande. Based in the southwest of Spain, it is a popular tourist destination due to its pleasant climate. The hotel has been a mainstay of the Sotogrande region, operating there for decades.
After taking over the hotel, Messi’s company decided to fire the current staff from the resort. Roughly 40 members of staff are now without a job. Some of the staff had reportedly been employed at the hotel for decades. Despite this, they have still been relieved of their duties.
Unsurprisingly, people are not happy about the decision by MiM hotels. The drastic actions taken here may also go against EU labour law. This route could be something that may be looked into by locals.
Mayor of San Roque, Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix, explained his disappointment at the firings.
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“I had a staff with experience of 25 to 30 years. Unfortunately, the first news that has reached them from the new hotel group is their dismissal!”
Ruiz Boix has offered help to those who lost their jobs by reaching out to MiM. The intention of contacting MiM is to try and get the people their jobs back.
“The hotel has a regular clientele who spend the summer there for more than 20 years,” he said. “We are not going to allow the first decision to be the dismissal of great professionals.”
“It is unjust and inexplicable. We will fight for the staff to get their jobs back when the hotel re-opens.”
The hotel is due to re-open in April 2022. Between now and April, Messi and his group may have a lot of issues to resolve.
Lionel Messi earned $33 million per year in endorsements from various companies, including Gatorade, Pepsi, Adidas, and Mastercard. The Adidas sponsorship is particularly lucrative, as Messi has a lifetime contract with them.
The PSG superstar also has found some entrepreneurial success in real estate. He currently owns hotels in Ibiza, Majorca, and Barcelona.
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