But nothing has been quite as freaky as this statement from La Liga president Javier Tebas in Barcelona.
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As you heard in those worldwide news clips, it is customary in Spain that the sentence is suspended for first time offenders who are given less than 2 years for a jail term.
But no one is above the law, and Messi looks to have got off extremely lightly with a 21-month suspended sentence, meaning he won’t even serve any time in prison for his wrongdoings. “But the only thing I can tell him is that from La Liga we believe he isn’t guilty and that he should stay in Spanish football”.
“There is no prejudice or personal attack against Messi or against Barcelona”, he said.
The Argentinian and his father Jorge were both given the same prison sentence for the offence, with the prolific attacker fined €2million for three counts of tax fraud and his dad hit with a €1.7m charge. “I don’t think Leo Messi is a delinquent”.
A record five-time victor of the Ballon d’Or for the world’s best player, Messi is facing the most hard moment in his glorious career.
When Messi’s Argentina failed to beat Chile in last month’s Copa America Centenario final it proved too heavy a blow for the diminutive playmaker, who announced his global retirement in the aftermath.
That was his third lost Copa America final to go with a defeat in the final of the 2014 World Cup.
Messi joined the club’s academy in 2000, aged 13, and his family joined him in Spain soon after. Once lodged, the appeal will be heard in a higher court in Madrid. The forward has scored a Spanish league record of 312 goals.
Yesterday, National Court judge José de la Mata shelved the complaint brought against Neymar, his father, and Barcelona by Brazilian investment group DIS.
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Messi has always denied any knowledge of his tax affairs, saying he concentrated on football, while his father has claimed he left it all up to financial advisers.
