Appeal lost

Messi loses appeal against sentence

Messi was given the jail term last July after being found guilty – alongside his father Jorge – of three counts of tax fraud.

It was ruled he had defrauded Spain of €4.1million between 2007 and 2009, relating to earnings from image rights.

Court documents on Wednesday show the 29-year-old has lost his appeal to the Supreme Court, with the sentence issued by a Catalan court being confirmed.