BREAKING: Messi sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax fraud

Argentina’s and FC Barcelona striker Lionel Messi  has been sentenced to 21-month imprisonment for tax fraud.

A court in Barcelona  found Messi guilty of three counts of tax fraud, a statement from the court on Wednesday said.

The court also sentenced the Argentine soccer player’s father, Jorge, to 21 months in prison for the same three crimes.

The sentence can be appealed through the Spanish supreme court, the statement said.

Under Spanish laws, a prison sentence under two years can be served under probation, meaning Messi and his father are unlikely to go to jail.

The court ordered Messi to pay a fine of around 2 million euros ($2.21 million) and his father to 1.5 million euros for the crimes.