Photo by Christopher Johnson (Wikimedia Commons)
It is no question that Lionel Messi is one of the best soccer players, if not the best. On Wednesday though, Messi and his father were accused of tax fraud in Spain. According to BBC News, Messi and his father are accused of defrauding Spain of more than €4 million ($5.12 million)
If this turns out to be true, it is a sad story. Messi has earned the respect of many soccer players, coaches, and fans, but that could change very quickly depending on the results of this investigation. This is no small amount of money that Messi allegedly has defrauded Spain of. In the case that he ends up guilty, he could face some prison time.
Soccer without Messi would definitely be different. The 2014 World Cup is a year away, and a Messi-less Argentina squad would be a big blow. Argentina has a talented squad, but without Messi on the squad, it would just look downright weird.
All of this has been pure speculation, but usually fraud accusations aren’t taken lightly and are investigated to the T. This will be something to keep on following, but if Messi was found guilty and faced prison time, soccer fans around the world would be guffawed. Hopefully for soccer’s sake, Messi keeps on playing soccer and this accusation remains nothing more than an accusation.
Phil Naegely is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @pnaegelyRS and add him to your circles on Google.
