Lionel Messi sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax fraud

Barcelona superstar, Lionel Messi, has been handed a 21-month jail sentence for tax evasion, but is unlikely he will go to prison.

The player and his father, Jorge, were found guilty of three counts of tax fraud. Between 2007 and 2009, Messi and father failed to pay tax authorities €4.1million (£3.5m), which was tax on image rights earnings.

Jorge Messi absolved his son of any wrongdoing, with the 28-year-old claiming he did not “read the documents, but only signed them.”

Under Spanish law, a prison sentence under two years can be served on probation.

The court also ordered Messi to pay a fine of around £1.7m and his father to pay £1.27m.

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