Spain's sports minister Miguel Cardenal says the Barcelona campaign supporting Lionel Messi over his recent tax fraud conviction is misjudged as judicial decisions taken in a democracy "must be respected and accepted."
After Messi and his father, Jorge, were last week found guilty by a Barcelona court of three counts of defrauding the tax department and handed down suspended jail sentences of 21 months, Barca launched a campaign using the hashtag #WeAreAllLeoMessi, urging fans to "express their sympathy" with the player.
Barca board spokesman Josep Vives has defended the campaign against criticism, highlighting what he says are contradictions in the Spanish state's handling of the case.
There have also been suggestions of a "black hand" in the Catalan media, with La Vanguardia highlighting the fact that lead prosecutor Marta Silva de Lapuerta was a Real Madrid board member between 2000 and 2006.
However, Partido Popular politician Cardenal, an Athletic Bilbao fan, said in AS: "If this campaign is aiming to make some kind of complaint about a judicial decision, it is totally mistaken. We are in an advanced democracy with an independent and competent judiciary.
"Decisions must be respected and accepted. You must not make campaigns of this type if you disagree with the sentence."
Messi, who is currently on holiday, has not commented on either the court's judgement or Barca's campaign in his favour, but his management company have said an appeal to Spain's Supreme Court is planned.
Some reports have suggested that Barca's show of support was motivated by fear that Messi was considering leaving the Camp Nou when his contract expires in two years as a result of the ruling. This comes amid a feeling voiced in Catalan daily Sport that in recent years the club have spent more time and resources defending themselves over the controversial 2013 signing of Neymar than they have in helping Messi through the courts.
El Pelotazo del día, con el humor de @kapdigital pic.twitter.com/qxZ799SxIL
- Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) July 13, 2016
The idea that Barcelona's players and directors are unfairly targeted by the authorities, while those at Madrid are treated more leniently, has been continued by a cartoon in Wednesday's Mundo Deportivo.
Vives said this week he has no evidence that Messi is interested in leaving the club.