Ex-Barça chief backs Messi over tax fraud claims

Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta defended Lionel Messi against allegations of tax fraud, a case experts say could carry a prison sentence for the Argentina star.

A Spanish state prosecutor filed a fraud complaint on Wednesday alleging that Messi and his father Jorge avoided paying €4m in back taxes through illegal overseas tax havens.

“I am convinced that neither Leo nor his father have committed any infraction,” Laporta told Cope radio. “The situation could be that they don’t have any responsibility in these events. There can be third parties who are responsible.