Leo Messi foundation wins lawsuit against Spanish outlet ABC after manipulation accusation

Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has been an active philanthropist over the past decade. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner runs an organisation, namely the Leo Messi Foundation, which has been quite active in promoting the idea of equal opportunity amongst children. The foundation recently made headlines when a Spanish newspaper accused the foundation of manipulating accounts, labelling accusations of tax fraud. But in a major sigh of relief for the Leo Messi Foundation, the allegations could not be proved by the Spanish court.

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Leo Messi foundation wins lawsuit against ABC 

Spanish newspaper ABC accused the Leo Messi foundation of manipulating accounts, hinting at a tax fraud. The organisation was blamed for alleged irregularities in its functioning, an allegation if proved, could have had an adverse impact on the player's reputation. But ABC could not prove the allegations and was subsequently reprimanded by Gava magistrates' court. 

The court, according to Onda Cero Radio, has ordered the Spanish outlet to pay a monetary compensation of £6,455 to the foundation. Besides, the outlet will also cover the complete legal cost accrued by the Argentine's charitable foundation. Leo Messi Foundation has reportedly confirmed that the compensation will be donated to Hospital Sant Joan de Deu in Barcelona.

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Ansu Fati ABC controversy emerges after racist remarks 

The court has also slammed the newspaper for their lack of diligence after a series of articles, aimed at maligning the six-time Ballon d'Or winner's image and honour, were published. The judgement stated that the information published by the outlet was not true. The court admitted that 'headline-management' forced the readers to believe about the probability of tax evasion. 

This isn't, however, the first time that ABC has been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Only a couple of days ago, the newspaper was slammed for writing derogatory remarks against Messi's Barcelona teammate Ansu Fati. ABC reporter Salvador Sostres compared Fati to "black street vendors" running in the streets of Barcelona after he scored against Hungarian side Ferencvaros. 

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Antoine Griezmann jumps into Ansu Fati ABC controversy, slams journalist 

The choice of words from the journalist did not go down well with Barcelona striker Antoine Griezmann. The France international posted a screenshot of the ABC report on his Twitter handle while also slamming the journalist for his choice of words. 'Fati is an exceptional kid who deserves respect like any human being. No to racism and no to bad education', tweeted Griezmann. 

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Image courtesy: Leo Messi Instagram