Messi to appear in court June 2 over allegations of tax fraud

Lionel Messi is expected to appear in court on June 2, to prove his innocence against tax fraud charges.

The Barcelona forward and his father, Jorge, have been charged with three counts of tax fraud up to €4.1million.

Spanish agency, EFE, has now confirmed that Messi will testify next week.

The player was set to avoid a trial, on the grounds that his father handled his tax payments. But a state attorney decided to overrule the advice of prosecutors and ordered both of them to appear.

This means Argentina will have their captain in court, three days before their Copa America opener against Chile on June 6.

Coach Gerardo Martino told Continental Radio: “I think we should have no problem with his presence at the Copa America Centenario.

“If he suspected that there might be a problem, we would’ve said.”

Argentina face Chile, Panama and Bolivia in Group D.

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