Former Real Madrid defender and Germany international Cristoph Metzelder will stand trial in April on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography images.
The former central defender will face a court in his district of Düsseldorf, with the trial expected to last for three weeks and an outcome expected on 10 May, as reported by Marca.
Formerly a high-level central defender, Metzelder has been charged with possession of 297 indecent images of children and sending them to three different women via WhatsApp between July and September last year, while he is alleged to have requested images on 29 occasions.
The German’s laptop was seized by authorities last September and new allegations have since come to light, preceding this ongoing court case.
It has been reported – via German media outlet Der Spiegel – that the former player had confessed, at least partially, to charges related to the possession or dissemination of child pornography in previous interrogations.
Now aged 40, Metzelder made 31 appearances for Real Madrid between 2007 and 2010, whilst also representing Borussia Dortmund and Schalke in Germany.
