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Lionel Messi sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax fraud

Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi and his father Jorge has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax fraud.

According to BBC News, Jorge Messi was given the jail term for defrauding Spain of €4.1m (£3.5m; $4.5m) between 2007 and 2009.

The Messis were found to have evaded tax on the player’s image rights and the Court of Catalonia has fined the pair and sentenced them each to just under two years in prison.

Under the Spanish system, prison terms of under two years can be served under probation, which means they won’t be required to serve any jail time.