Barcelona ask fans to support Messi

Barcelona have set up a campaign in support of Lionel Messi after the forward was found guilty of tax fraud.

Messi and his father Jorge were both sentenced to 21 months in jail each by a Spanish court earlier this week.

They will appeal against the decision after being found guilty of defrauding Spain of €4.1m from 2007 to 2009.

Neither man is expected to serve any time in jail, and Barcelona have launched a social media campaign urging fans to show “unconditional support”.

A club statement said: “Using the hashtag #WeAreAllLeoMessi while posting a photo or message with both hands open, the campaign is encouraging all Barça fans to express their sympathy for the greatest footballer in the world by voicing their unconditional support on social networks.

“By making it clear that #WeAreAllMessi, we want Leo to know that he is not alone. All members, supporters’ clubs, fans, athletes, media and everyone else are invited to participate.”

The 29-year-old Argentine, who has helped the club win the Champions League four times and La Liga on eight occasions, was also fined €2m (£1.7m) while his father was fined €1.5m.

Under the Spanish legal system, prison terms of under two years can be served under probation.

The pair were found guilty of using tax havens in Belize and Uruguay to conceal earnings from image rights.

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ABOUT: Nana Kwesi Coomson

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An Entrepreneur, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Communications Executive and Philanthropist. Editor-in-Chief of www.233times.com. A Senior Journalist with Ghanaian Chronicle Newspaper. An alumnus of Adisadel College where he read General Arts. His first degree is in Bachelor of Arts - Political Science (major) and History (minor) from the University of Ghana. He holds MSc in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Energy with Public Relations (PR) from the Robert Gordon University in the United Kingdom. He is a 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow who studied at Clark Atlanta University in USA on the Business and Entrepreneurship track.

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