Barcelona star Lionel Messi and his father, Jorge, have been sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax fraud.
Jorge was given a jail term for defrauding Spain of £3.5million between 2007 and 2009, while both men face millions of euros in fines for using tax havens in Belize and Uruguay to hide further earnings.
However, as the sentence is less than two years and neither Messi nor his father have a criminal record, they are unlikely to serve any time behind bars.
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Barcelona have since reacted by giving their backing to their star player.
The statement read: "FC Barcelona gives all its support to Leo Messi and his father with relation to the sentence for tax evasion handed out by the Provincial Court in Barcelona today.
"The Club, in agreement with the Government prosecution service, considers that the player, who has corrected his position with the Spanish Tax Office, is in no way criminally responsible with regards to the facts underlined in this case.
"FC Barcelona continues to be at the disposal of Leo Messi and his family to support him in whatever action he decides to take in defence of his honesty and his legal interests."
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