Neymar, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and now you can add Jose Mourinho to the list. They are all superstars in the football world that ran into major trouble with Spanish tax laws.
Today it was revealed that the Manchester United Manager is accused of defrauding the Spanish tax collection authorities during his time as Real Madrid boss.
The Portuguese manager is accused of defrauding Spain of €3.3m (£2.9m; $3.6m) in taxes between 2011 and 2012. He has yet to comment on the claim. A prosecutor says he did not declare income from the use of his image rights in order to get an “illicit benefit”.
The Jose Mourinho tax fraud news probably won’t get as much coverage as the case surrounding Ronaldo, who both played under Mourinho and shares the same agent, Jorge Mendes. CR7 is furious right now, to the point he wishes to leave Spain, a country where he stands accused of defrauding tax authorities to the tune of €14.7m.
Ronaldo’s discontent has sent the entire transfer rumors “reporting” world into a tizzy, with stories popping up linking him to Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
As for Lionel Messi, he was handed a 21-month suspended jail term. His father and financial manager Jorge, also received a conviction. With Neymar, he’s facing allegations of corruption and fraud over his transfer to Barcelona in 2013.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes to WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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