BARCELONA, Spain (AP) Barcelona star Lionel Messi and his father can avoid prison for tax fraud by paying an extra fine, a Spanish court said Friday.
Instead of Messi serving his 21-month sentence, the Argentina forward will be fined an extra ?252,000 ($287,000).
The Barcelona-based court also ruled that Messi’s father, Jorge Horacio Messi, will be fined an extra ?180,000 ($205,000) instead of serving his 15-month sentence.
The ruling was widely expected in Spain, where prison sentences under 24 months for first-time offenders can be waived by a judge.
Last year, a court found Messi and his father each guilty of three counts of defrauding tax authorities of 4.