A court in Spain has scheduled Lionel Messi's tax fraud trial, and it doesn't sit well with the upcoming schedule of the Copa America Opener. According to ESPN, Messi's lawyers are expected to appeal on the schedule set for May 31 to June 3. The Copa America Opener is set to begin on June 3, the last day of Messi's trial.

The embattled Argentine player is risking his chance of joining his team for the Copa America if his lawyers fail to appeal on a different date. Lionel's troubles began when his father and manager Jorge Messi was caught on an alleged tax fraud against Spain's tax agency.

The amount, which said to cover Lionel's earnings from 2007 to 2009 reached a total of €4.1 million. Despite Messi's father being the target of the case, the Argentine player's name was also being dragged because of his alleged participation on the fraudulent act.

According to Remezcla, Lionel's revenue from 2007 to 2009 was distributed across several companies all over Latin America to avoid tax responsibilities. The regions where his alleged money went include the U.K., Belize, Switzerland and Uruguay.

The demand for an impending 22 months in prison came after Lionel and his father settled a €5 million preventive fine, with the state attorney insisting that they appear in the Eighth Court of Barcelona. Previously, the Argentine player was spared from the case, citing that only his father has bearing.

In a separate report by ESPN, the court ruling said, "It has not been proven that Lionel Messi's lack of knowledge was deliberate or was done with the aim of defrauding the Treasury."

In addition to 22 months of imprisonment, the Messis have also been ordered to produce a fine, which is equivalent to the alleged fraudulent amount as well as charges of the legal proceedings of the case.

Meanwhile, according to Bleacher Report, Messi declared that he may never play with any European club because teaming with Neymar could one day award them with the coveted Ballon d'Or.

In his statement, he said as quoted by the publication, "I could never play for another European club other than Barcelona. But I would like to play in Argentina, because I left when I was still little. I would like to know how it is to be part of the Argentine game. Anything can happen in football, but I have no doubts about what I want, and what I want is to stay here in Barcelona."