Barcelona: A Spanish court on Wednesday sentenced FC Barcelona’s Argentine football star Lionel Messi and his father to a prison term for tax fraud committed between 2007 and 2009.

The Barcelona Provincial Court ruled that Messi and his father, Jorge Messi, had committed three counts of tax fraud that were punishable with 21 months (one year and 9 months) in prison. The court also ordered Messi to pay a fine of around 2 million euros ($2.21 million) and his father to pay 1.5 million euros for the crimes.

Messi maintained that he knew nothing about an alleged tax evasion scheme when he signed contracts related to image rights. Lionel and Jorge Horacio Messi were accused by the Spanish tax office of defrauding the government of 4.2 million euros ($4.7 million) between 2007 and 2009.

In Spanish law, it is not mandatory for a first offender to go to prison if the sentence is under two years.

The sentence can be appealed before the Spanish Supreme Court.