Injured Messi 'is better' now, to testify in tax case

The medical corps of the Argentine football team reported that Lionel Messi "is better" after he suffered an injury on Friday night during the friendly against Honduras. This means Nessi will be able to fly to Barcelona as planned this Sunday to testify in a tax-fraud case against him and his father.

"Messi is better with less pain than last night," said Daniel Martinez, a member of the medical corps of the team coached by Gerardo "Tata" Martino, in a statement to the official news agency Telam on Saturday, according to Efe.

The super striker had to leave the game at minute 64 when kneed in the back by Oliver Morazan after being spilled by Johnny Leveron.

Argentina won the game 1-0 with a first-half goal by Gonzalo Higuain.

"Serious contusion to the soft parts of the lower left-hand rib cage and to the lumbar paravertebral block," the doctors' report said.

Despite the contusion, Messi will travel on Saturday on a private plane to his native Rosario, where he will remain under observation until early Sunday morning, when he gets on another private flight to Barcelona, to comply with the summons issued by the Catalonia High Court of Justice.

Doctors believe that in about nine days, with the proper care, Messi will be "on his way to recovery" and ready to play once more with the Argentine national team. Since the bones were not injured, "the evolution of the soft areas will be much faster."

In Barcelona, Messi will give a deposition in the tax-fraud case set to begin Tuesday with testimony by witnesses, followed on Wednesday by the statements of investigators and more witnesses, and on Thursday by the court appearance of the soccer star himself.

In the written indictment, the prosecution asks for 18 months in prison for the soccer player's father for evading 4.1 million euros ($4.6 million) in taxes, but asks that the case against Messi be shelved on grounds that he had no knowledge of the fraud.

--IANS

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