Messi handed jail sentence

Lionel Messi handed jail term in Spain for tax fraud

Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona and his father Jorge Horacio Messi in court on 2 June 2016 in Barcelona, SpainImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image caption
Lionel Messi, left, in court with his father in June
Argentina and Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax fraud.
His father, Jorge Messi, was also given a jail term for defrauding Spain of €4.1m (£3.5m; $4.5m) between 2007 and 2009.
They also face millions of euros in fines for using tax havens in Belize and Uruguay used to conceal earnings from image rights.
However, neither man is expected to serve time in jail.
Under the Spanish system, prison terms under two years can be served under probation.
The footballer and his father were found guilty of three counts of tax fraud in Wednesday's ruling by the court in Barcelona.
Messi was fined about €2m and his father €1.5m.
More on Lionel Messi:
'I knew nothing', Messi tells court
Messi retires from international football
Is Messi best of all time?
During the trial, Lionel Messi insisted he "knew nothing" about the management of his financial affairs, saying he was "playing football".
For his part, Jorge Messi claimed he did not have enough knowledge to orchestrate such a fraud, blaming his tax consultants instead.
Lionel Messi retired from international football late last month. He has won the Fifa World Player of the Year five times and is one of the richest athletes in the world.

Judge must be a Barcelona fan. Doesn't want their best player to be sitting in a cell during the season

Sure the judge can move the goalposts

Imo, he didnt know. €4,1million is like piss to him. Im sure he makes more than that opening a pack of lays chips.