Lionel Messi is under fire after sacking all the staff at a luxury hotel his company recently acquired.

The PSG superstar has invested and earned money in different ways over the past few years. Although salaries make up the bulk of his income, sponsorship endorsements also give Messi a huge financial boost.

He earned $33 million a year in endorsements from various companies, including Gatorade, Pepsi, Adidas and Mastercard. The sponsorship of Adidas is particularly lucrative, as Messi has a lifetime contract with them.

Lionel Messi has also found some entrepreneurial success in real estate. In 2017, Messi became the owner of MiM Hotels, a company that owns many resorts in Spain. He currently owns hotels in Ibiza, Mallorca and Barcelona. However, the Argentine’s latest purchase from Cadiz has sparked some controversy.

Messi’s new hotel

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 is a mainstay in the Sotogrande area, operating there for decades.

MiM’s latest purchase focuses on luxury as it is a prime location for golf and water sports. The new owners are also aiming to be more environmentally friendly, with plans to make buildings eco-friendly where possible.

However, the company hasn’t been very friendly with its cutthroat approach to employee management.

Act as owner first

After taking over the hotel, Messi’s company decided to fire the resort’s current staff. About 40 staff members are now out of work. Some staff are said to have been employed at the hotel for decades. Despite this, they were still relieved of their duties.

Unsurprisingly, people aren’t happy with MiM Hotels’ decision. The drastic measures taken here may also run counter to EU labor law. This route could be something that could be looked into by locals.

Residents’ reaction

San Roque Mayor Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix explained his disappointment with the layoffs.

“I had a staff with an experience of 25 to 30 years. Unfortunately, the first news that reached them from the new hotel group was their dismissal!

Ruiz Boix offered his help to those who lost their jobs by reaching out to MiM. The intent of contacting MiM is to try to get people back to their jobs.

“The hotel has a regular clientele who have been spending the summer there for more than 20 years,” he says. “We are not going to allow the first decision to be the dismissal of great professionals.”

“It’s unfair and inexplicable. We will fight to get staff back to their jobs when the hotel reopens.

The hotel is due to reopen in April 2022. By April, Messi and his group might have a lot of issues to deal with.