Lionel Messi given new court date in tax fraud case

A Spanish court says Lionel Messi and his father have a new date to appear in a tax fraud case.

Messi and his father, Jorge Horacio, had been due in court on September 17, a day before Barcelona's Champions League match against Ajax. But the court suspended that hearing.

In a ruling published on Tuesday, the court now requires Messi to appear on September 27, an hour after his father.

Messi's father made a payment of more than $6.6 million on August 14 to cover alleged outstanding taxes plus interest.

The complaint, lodged by a state prosecutor, said Messi tried to conceal earnings and that he owed $5.3 million in back taxes.