Football personalities’ brushes with the taxman

PARIS: From Argentinian footballing legend Diego Maradona to Barcelona star Lionel Messi, many football stars and officials have fallen foul of the taxman over the past few years.

CONVICTED LIONEL MESSI

The five- time World Player of the Year was sentenced in July 2016 to 21 months in prison, confirmed on appeal, for tax fraud, for avoiding paying taxes on €4.16mil (RM20mil) of the player’s income earned from his image rights from 200709.

The prison sentence will be suspended as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying a sentence of less than two years.

JAVIER MASCHERANO

Messi’s Barcelona and Argentina teammate Mascherano accepted a one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after he was found guilty of failing to pay €1.5mil (RM7mil) in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi, he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.

ULI HOENESS

President of German giants Bayern Munich, Hoeness was sentenced to three and a half years behind bars after being convicted in March 2014 of having evaded paying at least €28.5mil (RM136mil) in taxes.

He was released from prison in late February 2016 after serving 21 months of his sentence. In November 2016, he was reinstated as Bayern president.

ROMARIO

In 2009, the Brazilian 1994 World Cup winner Romario de Souza Faria was sentenced to two and a half years of community service and fined 391,000 reais (RM504,000) for tax fraud by a Rio de Janeiro court.

Crumbling under debts and in spite of his legal woes the star striker then entered politics, being elected Brazilian deputy in 2010 and senator four years later.

SUSPECTED CRISTIANO RONALDO

Real Madrid star Ronaldo is accused of evading €14.7mil (RM70mil) in tax, and is to appear before a judge in Spain on July 31.

The Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies between 2011 and 2014.

JOSE MOURINHO

Manchester United manager Mourinho is accused of evading €3.3mil (RM15.8mil) in tax in 2011 and 2012, during his time in charge at Real Madrid. Like Ronaldo, Mourinho is a client of Portuguese super agent Jorge Mendes.

SAMUEL ETO’O

In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought a jail sentence of more than 10 years and fines totalling €18mil (RM86mil) for Cameroonian football great Eto’o, who is accused of failing to pay €3.9mil (RM19mil) in taxes during his time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009. Other footballers who have passed through Barcelona, including Brazil’s Adriano Correia and Chile’s Alexis Sanchez, have had similar legal woes.

NEYMAR

Brazilian star Neymar, who also plays for Barcelona, faces corruption charges in connection with the terms of his transfer from the Brazilian club Santos in 2013.

In November 2016, a Spanish prosecutor called for Neymar to face two years in prison and be fined €10mil (RM48mil).

Brazilian justice officials have frozen some of his assets, estimated at €43.5mil (RM208mil), while they determine if the forward did not declare a €10mil payment by Barcelona to obtain preferential rights to his service.

RADAMEL FALCAO

Colombian striker Falcao is suspected of failing to correctly declare €5.6mil (RM27mil) of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while he was at Atletico Madrid. His agent is Mendes, who has been summoned before a Spanish court as part of the probe.

DIEGO MARADONA

In 2005, Argentine football legend Maradona was ordered to pay €37.2mil (RM178mil) for tax fraud by Italy’s top court.

An Italian court in November 2012 admitted there had been a procedural error in the investigation and ordered a new inquiry, which is still ongoing.