Lionel Messi, father sentenced to 21 months in jail for tax fraud

TIL Desk Sports/ Lionel Messi has been sentenced to 21 months in prison after a court in Barcelona found him guilty of three counts of tax fraud, a statement from the court said on Wednesday.

The court also sentenced Messi’s father, Jorge, to 21 months in prison for the same charges. The sentence can be appealed through the Spanish supreme court, the statement added.

However, under Spanish law a prison sentence under two years can be served under probation, meaning Messi and his father are unlikely to go to jail.