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Wednesday, 6 July 2016

BARCELONA STAND BY MESSI AFTER TAX FRAUD RULING

The club have pledged their star legal and moral support after it emerged on Wednesday that he faced a 21-month jail sentence

Barcelona have offered their backing to Lionel Messi after he was given a prison sentence for tax fraud offences on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old, along with his father Jorge, was found guilty of three counts of fiscal fraud related to image rights accrued between 2007 and 2009.

Both have been given a 21-month jail sentence by a Spanish court, along with a fine totalling €2 million.

Neither of the two are likely to serve any time in prison as the sentence was less than two years for a non-violent offence and neither holds a criminal record.

Both men - who have always denied any wrongdoing - may appeal the decision, which came about despite a voluntary "corrective payment" of €5m made to authorities in August 2013 to cancel out the alleged amount of unpaid tax, plus interest.

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