The Spanish champions have urged supporters to show their support for the Argentine on social media, using the hashtag #WeAreAllLeoMessi
Barcelona have set up a campaign in support of Lionel Messi after he was handed a suspended prison sentence earlier this week.
The Argentine superstar and his father Jorge were given a suspended 21 month prison term after being found guilty of three counts of tax fraud.
It is unlikely either will serve time in prison as such a sentence can be served under probation if you have no criminal record.
But that has not stopped the Spanish champions from getting behind their talisman.
Barca fans are encouraged to show their support on social media, using the hashtag #WeAreAllLeoMessi.
A statement on the club's official website urges supporters to post a photo or message with both of their hands open to "express their sympathy for the greatest footballer in the world".
The proposal has been slammed by multiple people on social media, who claim the club are promoting tax fraud.
Messi and his father were both found guilty by a court in Barcelona of defrauding the Spanish tax authorities of €4.1million (£3.5m) in the period between 2007 and 2009 by not paying tax on image rights earnings.
The court ordered Messi to pay a fine of around €2million (£1.7million) and his father to pay €1.5 million (£1.3million).
When giving evidence earlier this summer, Jorge Messi absolved his son of all blame, with the 28-year-old claiming he did not “read the documents, only sign them.”
Lionel Messi’s club-mate and former international colleague Javier Mascherano was similarly handed a jail sentence over a tax offence last year but did not ever set foot in a prison.
Messi is not the only Barcelona star to come under scrutiny for his tax affairs, as team-mate Neymar was recently fined almost £40m by a Brazilian court for evading tax on his sponsorship deals.
Like Messi, he also denies any wrongdoing and is appealing against that ruling.
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