Photo: file
Barcelona's Argentinian forward, Lionel Messi's family have denied Spanish media reports following the leak of the 'Panama papers' that he was involved in a tax evasion scheme.
Governments across the world began investigating possible financial wrongdoing by the rich and powerful on Monday after a leak of four decades of documents from a Panamanian law firm that specialised in setting up offshore companies.
The so-called 'Panama papers' revealed the financial arrangements of global political and public figures.
While holding money in offshore companies is not illegal, the 28-year old world's best player was on Sunday accused by online Spanish newspaper El Confidencial of creating a company with the aim of evading tax, although Sportsmail could not independently confirm this.
His family on Monday issued a statement denying the allegations.
'In light of stories released by different media outlets which attribute Lionel Messi to the creation of a company designed to 'set up a new web of fiscal fraud', the Messi family wishes to make it clear Lionel Messi has not carried out any of the acts he has been accused of and accusations he has designed a new web of fiscal fraud and created a money laundering network are false and damaging,' the family said in a statement.
'The Messi family has instructed its lawyers to analyse opening legal proceedings against the media outlets that have reproduced this story.'
-DailyMail