Messi will appeal tax fraud conviction to Supreme Court of Spain

Lionel Messi isn't done fighting the taxman.

On Wednesday, after Messi and his father were sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax fraud by a court in Barcelona, Spain, the player's management announced that the conviction will be appealed to the Supreme Court of Spain as his lawyers believe the decision is "incorrect."

From Leo Messi Management's press release:

The lawyers believe that the sentence "is almost symbolic, in view of the sentence imposed (7 months per offense), but that it is incorrect" and expect the outcome of their appeal to rule in favour of the defence.

Messi and his father were sentenced to 21 months in prison after the court found that they were each guilty of three counts of tax fraud. However, neither the Argentinian phenom nor his father are expected to spend any time behind bars, as sentences of less than two years are usually suspended in Spain. The former was also fined €2 million, while the latter was fined €1.5 million.

Related: Lionel Messi receives 21-month jail term for tax fraud; unlikely to serve time

Specifically, Messi and his father were each guilty of three counts of tax fraud committed between 2007 and 2009. The pair were accused of creating a web of shell companies in countries such as Uruguay, Switzerland, and Belize that simulated the handing over of Messi's image rights and defrauded Spain's Tax Agency of €4.1 million in income tax.

The Supreme Court of Spain typically takes slightly under one year to reach a resolution.