Updated at 21.35
SPAIN’S PUBLIC PROSECUTOR has agreed to substitute Lionel Messi’s suspended 21-month prison sentence for tax fraud with a fine.
The Barcelona superstar was given the jail term last July after being found guilty – alongside his father Jorge – of three counts of tax fraud.
It was ruled that Messi, between 2007 and 2009, defrauded Spain of €4.1million relating to earnings from image rights.
An appeal against the sentence was rejected by the Spanish Supreme Court in May.
However, Spanish news agency EFE reports that the public prosecutor has agreed to substitute the sentence for a fine of €255,000.
During the initial trial in 2016, Messi consistently denied any involvement, insisting his focus was only ever on playing football.
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one law for the rich and famous and one for the regular guy that we see so often
@Funfair: yeh cos the regular guy has 200k to pay in fines… just lying around like…
Would make you want to go out and defraud again .. defraud the state , go to court , get sentenced, pay back taxes , get a pay rise , pay a fine ( 1 weeks wages ) , sentence withdrawn , keep pay rise … now it’s clear what Cristiano is doing .. and it’ll work
@Limón Madrugada: garlic man will be crushed when he hears this
Poor Lionel, i reckon he won’t sleep a wink tonight worrying about paying that fine.
Surprise surprise
He spent more on a night out the other week than that fine swear to god
The “if this was Ireland..” brigade can sit this one out
More like Lionel Richie…
@Phil O’ Meara: Yeah Phil, he’ll be “Dancing on the Ceiling” after that result :-)
That is just the standard justice system in Spain where you don’t serve a custodial Ina first offence and applies to everyone and not just the best footballer in the world
@Nick Allen: You mean the second best footballer in the world Nick?
@Sloop John G:
An interesting argument and one I have many times. Yes the other guy’s goals to games ratio over such a sustained period is mind blowing and I can’t see it ever being beaten. However for purest skill and ability with the ball i would vote for Messi.
@Nick Allen: Messi’s goals to game ratio is already better than Ronaldo for club and country 701 apps 565 goals to Ronaldo’s 858 apps 603 goals. Messi is the Greatest of all Time.
@Raymond Donaghy:
I didn’t realise Messi has so many goals but hasn’t Ronaldo scored more goals or about the same amount of goals as games played for Real and he has been there 8 years or so. That said, two awesome players but it is Messi for me too
@Nick Allen: Sorry guys, must admit I was mischief making to set the old Ronaldo v Messi debate going. To be honest, I can’t separate them but would add that we are privileged to see both playing in the same era as I doubt we will see even one player who comes close to either of them in the near future.
@Raymond Donaghy: keep dreaming
@Sloop John G: If you have a problem separating Messi the GOAT from Ronaldo ( the Portuguese one) reading this might help you.
http://www.ohmygoal.co/omg/the-50-greatest-ever-quotes-about-lionel-messi.html
Lucky him, if he went to prison things would have gotten Messi……. Get it?
@Luke Campbell: Don’t give up the day job just yet Luke :-)
White collar crime.. doesn’t exist if you have millions! If that was a CEO of a business he’d lose his job in disgrace
@Eoghan Rock: truth
Did anyone anywhere actually think for a nanosecond that he would do time in prison for this?
He could pay that after a couple of days…probably relaxing on a beach
Half a weeks wages to him.Probably has it in his wallet.
Ahhh go way , are you serious .
Half a weeks wages. I’m sure he is devastated.
Pocket change for the chap. The World is a Big Mess.
We’d better chip in for him
255,000 is a fcuking joke ! Although it’s probably the maximum fine all
@Kaiser Clown: maximum fine allowed by law . If their serious it should be wage indexed
You don’t say
Law is the same in Ireland,2 tier.
The fine should have been the 4.1 million + interest + the 225k penalty
Did he even get a conviction
Those Spanish jails must be packed to capacity because the guilty footballers always seem to get off with fines
Celebrity Justice at its worst, its equivalent to an average person being fined €200-250