Lionel Messi to appeal against court summons

Lionel Messi has confirmed that he will appeal against a Spanish judge's decision to send him to court to face allegations of tax evasion.

The Barcelona striker and his father and agent, Jorge Messi, are accused of withholding €4m (£3.1m) in unpaid taxes from the authorities between 2007 and 2009.

"Through this press release I want to communicate that, after having received the order of the court of Gava this afternoon and following the professional advice of my solicitors, I have decided to appeal against it," said Messi in a statement.

The player and his father made a voluntary payment of more than €5m (£3.9m) last year in an effort to resolve the matter, but the authorities have refused to lay it to rest.