Atletico Madrid forward, Diego Costa is facing the possibility of spending six months in jail for alleged tax fraud.
Costa is set to appear in court on June 4 to face allegations that he defrauded the state of more than €1 million by not declaring payments of more than €5.15 million following his move from Chelsea in 2014.
According to media reports, prosecutors in Spain will ask the judge for a six-month prison sentence and a fine of more than €500,000.
Costa is also facing a charge of failing to declare image rights of more than €1 million.
In Spain, sentences below two years for non-violent crimes can be exchanged for a fine, so if found guilty, Costa would avoid prison if he paid an additional fine of 36,500 euros.
Costa is the latest high-profile footballer to face tax fraud charges.
In 2017, Barcelona star Lionel Messi’s faced a 21-month prison sentence for tax fraud.
However, he was able to avoid prison-time by paying a fine of €252,000 ($288,000), or €400 for each day of the sentence.
Cristiano Ronaldo was fined €18.8 million ($21.6 million) in 2019.
The prosecutors accused him of dodging taxes in Spain between 2010 and 2014, when he was playing for Real Madrid
