FC Barcelona and Argentina superstar Lionel Messi is being accused of accepting £2.4 million ($3.75 million) to visit the Republic of Gabon and its president Ali Bongo Ondimba.

French weekly France Football, as translated to English by Daily Mail, reported that the Barca striker allegedly accepted the money just to lay a stone at a football stadium in the country. The report read: "The little African trip should bring in around 3.5 million euros ($3.75 million). Not bad!"

Messi came with his former Blaugrana teammate Deco and laid the first stone at the Port-Gentil stadium in Gabon. The stadium will be used for the 2017 African Cup of Nations.

The controversial president Bongo wants to put the issue to rest, explaining that Messi is only making good on a promise he made to Bongo on a visit the president made to Barcelona a few years ago.

"When I was in Barcelona, I met Messi who had told me that he would come to visit me in Libreville," said the president, as quoted in the report. "It's a promise he made me. He is a man of honour who just kept his word," Bongo added.

Bongo has taken over the presidency of the country when his father died in 2009. The late Omar Bongo ruled the Republic from 1967 until his demise. The current leader is continuously accused of plundering the nation's wealth for personal purposes, and also committing electoral fraud to extend and stay in power.

France Football noted: "In Gabon, where a large part of the population don't benefit from oil money, the opposition denounce any political distraction or 'circus'."

The French embassy of Gabon issued a statement, addressing the rumors and clarifying that the Republic did not make any payment to Messi, reported Sport.

"The Republic of Gabon firmly deny to have transferred or to have promised to transfer any sum of money to the Argentine international Lionel Messi. He was in Gabon on July 17 and 18 following an invitation from Ali Bongo."

'Scruffy, underdressed, disrespectful'

However, some online comments were not about the alleged payment but about how the star was dressed given that he is meeting a Head of State and other dignitaries, according to EuroSport.

Some made fun of his "scruffy appearance" but others took it as a sign of disrespect and poor attitude toward the Republic of Gabon.