Lionel Messi Won’t Be Going To Jail

Lionel Messi has been cleared of tax fraud charges, but his father Jorge is facing a possible 18 months prison sentence and a £1.5m fine.

Messi and his father had been accused of defrauding the state of 4.2m Euros (£3.1m) between 2007 and 2009. Spain’s public prosecutor reiterated that the Barcelona star should not have to face charges because it was his father who was in charge of his finances in that time, which has been proven by documents published on Tuesday. Messi and his father paid 5m Euros (£3.7m) to Spain's tax authorities as a "corrective payment" in 2013, having been formally charged.

Last year Messi appeal was rejected by the court overseeing the case, it ruled that Messi may be liable for approving the creation of a web of shell companies that were allegedly used to evade tax due from his image rights. According to the prosecutor's office, the UK played host to one of these shell companies used to hide revenue as well as Uruguay, Belize and Switzerland.