Tax fraud case: Lionel Messi, father to appeal judgment in Spanish Supreme Court

The income related to Messi`s image rights that was allegedly hidden includes endorsement deals with Danone, Adidas, etc.

New Delhi: In a fresh development, Lionel Messi and his father have decided to challenge the court's decision in Supreme Court.

The decision came after a court in Spain earlier in the day sentenced the Barcelona striker and his father to 21 months in jail for tax fraud, in the latest case of tax avoidance involving a top footballer in the country.

But these prison sentences are likely to be suspended as is common in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying a sentence of less than two years.

The Barcelona court found the Argentina international and his father Jorge Horacio Messi guilty of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying taxes on 4.16 million euros of Messi`s income earned from his image rights from 2007-09.

The income related to Messi`s image rights that was allegedly hidden includes endorsement deals with Danone, Adidas, Pepsi-Cola, Procter & Gamble and the Kuwait Food Company.

(With Agency inputs)