Barcelona star Lionel Messi will stand trial over alleged tax fraud after a court turned down an appeal.

The forward's lawyers tried to prevent Messi from sitting in the dock, but the court's decision means that he and his father remain under investigation.

The pair are alleged to have defrauded the Spanish Tax Agency of £3.4m between 2007 and 2009, although Messi claims that he knew nothing of the scheme.

However, the court believes that the 27-year-old "benefited" from a network of companies created by his father, and that a hearing will decide whether he knew or not.

His father is alleged to have created the companies when Messi was a minor to help him pay less tax on his advertising contracts.

Messi and his father deny the allegations.

Written by
Charlie Bennett