Atletico Madrid forward, Diego Costa will appear in court today to face charges of alleged tax fraud.
The Spain striker is facing the possibility of spending six months in jail if he is found guilty.
Costa will 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
