Messi tax fraud trial: 'I knew nothing' Barcelona star says

The Barcelona and Argentina football star, Lionel Messi, who
is on trial for alleged tax fraud in Spain, has told a court he
had no involvement in the management of his financial affairs.
"I was playing football, I knew nothing," he said.
Messi and his father Jorge, who manages his finances, are
accused of defrauding Spain of €4.1m (£3.2m; $4.6m).
The authorities allege that the two used tax havens in Belize
and Uruguay to conceal earnings from image rights.
Wearing a dark suit and tie, Messi sat alongside his father in
front of the judge and listened to other testimony for nearly
four hours before being called to testify in the third day of the
trial.
Messi, 28, said he signed documents without reading them
because he trusted his father and the advisers responsible for
managing his finances.
"I only worried about playing football," he told the judge.
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Speaking for less than 15 minutes, he said he never suspected
any wrongdoing when his father would ask him to sign
contracts or documents. Jorge Messi also denies the charges.
Spain's tax agency is demanding heavy fines and prison
sentences.
The trial began on Tuesday, and Thursday is expected to be
the final day. A verdict is not expected until next week.
Because of the trial, Messi has missed part of his national
team's preparations for the Copa America, which starts on
Friday in the US. Argentina's first game is on Monday.
Evidence is being considered regarding income related to
Messi's image rights, including contracts with Banco Sabadell,
Danone, Adidas, Pepsi-Cola, Procter and Gamble, and the
Kuwait Food Company.
Messi's lawyers had argued that the player had "never devoted
a minute of his life to reading, studying or analysing" the
contracts.
But the high court in Barcelona ruled in June 2015 that the
football star should not be granted immunity for not knowing
what was happening with his finances, which were being
managed in part by his father.
Messi and his father made a voluntary €5m "corrective
payment", equal to the alleged unpaid tax plus interest, in
August 2013.
The footballer is the five-time World Player of the Year and
one of the richest athletes in the world.