Lionel Messi and his father Convicted for tax fraud Sentenced 21 months in jail

Lionel Messi and his father Jorge Horacio Messi were sentenced to 21 months in jail for tax fraud by a Spanish court on Wednesday.

Yes, it was a shocking turn of events, but for all those Messi fans the good news is his dad will likely skip any jail time. The sentences are expected to be suspended since both are first-time offenders of non-violent crimes with sentences of less than two years.

As long as the Messis don’t break any other laws during the period of their sentences which is 21 months, they will not be thrown to jail. They also have the option to appeal.

Lionel Messi and his father were found guilty of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying taxes of 4.16 million euros of the soccer star's income earned from his image rights from 2007 to 2009. During a 4 day trial last month, Messi told the court that he “knew nothing” about how his finances were being managed by his dad, but the court ruled that Messi “had decided to remain in ignorance.”

Aside from the jail sentence, Lionel Messi will have to pay an additional 1.7 million euros and his dad 1.3 million euros, aside from the 5 million euros in unpaid taxes and interest fees they shelled out before the trial.

Barcelona publicly backed its five-time World Player of the Year. In a statement, the club said: “FC Barcelona gives all its support to Leo Messi and his father with relation to the sentence for tax evasion handed out by the Provincial Court in Barcelona today.”