Tax charges dropped against Messi

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has seen tax charges
against him dropped by Spanish authorities.

Prosecutors in Spain have dropped tax charges against
Barcelona star Lionel Messi but are pushing for an 18-month jail
sentence for the player's father Jorge.

The pair were initially accused of defrauding the Spanish
authorities of €4.1million by using a complex network of
companies to sell Messi's image rights in Uruguay, Belize,
Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

But prosecutors have now cleared the player on grounds of age
and placed all responsibility on his father, who they claim had
"the control of his tax obligations".

A statement from the prosecutors' office read: "The prosecution
concludes that, due to his age and links with his father, it was
Jorge who handled the economic benefits of the son.

"It has not proven that his [Lionel Messi's] lack of knowledge
was deliberate or was done with the aim of defrauding the public
purse."

The alleged fraud took place between 2007 and 2009.

Jorge Messi, who also faces a fine of €2m if found guilty, has
always maintained his son's innocence.

Last October, he told Spanish radio: "I have always said it, he
had absolutely nothing to do with it, so there is no need to talk
about it.

"My lawyers are dealing with this issue so it's something with
me and has nothing to do with him."

The Spanish state legal service could still ask the court for
Messi to appear as an accused in the case.

Their opinion on the case is yet to be published.