LISBON: Any chance Cristiano Ronaldo had of playing for Real Madrid against Barcelona in a friendly in Miami on July 29 looks to have disappeared after he was summoned to court in Madrid on July 31 as part of the investigation into his tax affairs.
Ronaldo is understood to have already told Portugal team-mates he will not play for Madrid again but even if he wants to run out in the Hard Rock stadium in the first ever Clasico in the USA he may now not be able to do so.
Spanish news website El Confidencial reported on Tuesday that they player will attend court in Pozuelo as part of the investigation just 30 hours after the scheduled friendly.
The player has been accused by the Public Prosecutor of defrauding the Spanish Purse of £12.9m by paying insufficient tax over a four-year period.
But it now falls to a Madrid judge to decide if the case goes to court with Ronaldo giving evidence as the accused.
In order for the judge to make their decision parties on both sides are called to give evidence.
Ronaldo has hired law firm Baker McKenzie and his defence will be based on the high proportion of his image rights earnings being from outside of Spain, meaning his declaring 20 per cent of it to the Spanish taxman is correct, or at the very least not a deliberate attempt to defraud.
After hearing evidence from both sides the Madrid judge will decide if the case must go to court.
If the Public Prosecution lawsuit is accepted than Ronaldo will be informed and will have 30 days to admit culpability and pay a fine of around £35m euros or proceed with his defence in court.
