Messi’s brother sentenced for possessing firearm

Argentina and Barcelona playmaker Lionel Messi’s brother Matias Messi has been sentenced for illegally possessing firearm by a court in Argentina’s Rosario.

Matias received two-and-a-half-year prison sentence which will not have to be served as the court replaced it with an order to perform community service. La Capital newspaper in the Argentine city of Rosario says that the decision was reached under a deal with investigating prosecutors.

Matias was involved in a boat accident last year when he crashed in the Parana river and a weapon was found inside the blood-stained boat. The 35-year old, who fractured his jaw following the accident denied owning the gun and Messi’s family even issued a statement at the time which read: "The family denies any existence of a firearm on the boat, it's completely false all the information regarding this."

Following discharge from the hospital, he was sentenced to house arrest.