Former Sunderland midfielder Cabral charged with two counts of rape and will face trial next month

Cabral is alleged to have attacked his victim on 25 January while registered to the Premier League club

Cabral made two appearances for Sunderland (Getty Images)

Former Sunderland footballer Cabral has been charged with two counts of rape and will face trial next month at Newcastle Crown Court.

Cabral, whose real name is Adilson Tavares Varela, is alleged to have attacked his victim on 25 January 2015. Despite currently playing for FC Zurich in Switzerland, Cabral is believed to have made multiple trips back to the United Kingdom to appear at Newcastle Crown Court.

The 27-year-old was arrested on the same day as the alleged offence, with the Premier League club electing to terminate his contract days later, and charged in June with two counts of rape. His trial is due to begin on 25 April, Newcastle Crown Court confirmed.

Former Sunderland player Cabral has been charged with two counts of rape (Getty Images)

Cabral made just two appearances for Sunderland in 2013, with the midfielder playing in the 1-0 Premier League defeat by Fulham and the 4-2 Capital One Cup victory over MK Dons in August.

After being dropped from the Sunderland first team, Cabral joined Genoa in Italy on loan until the end of the season, and he made his debut for the Serie A side 13 days before the alleged offence took place.

Cabral made seven appearances for Genoa before his loan ended, and he returned to Switzerland to join FC Zurich in July 2015, having played for Lausanne and Basel earlier in his career.