Mourinho accused of tax fraud
MADRID: Spanish prosecutors said yesterday they had filed a claim against Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho on two counts of tax fraud dating back to when he coached Real Madrid.
The Portuguese manager owes Spanish tax authorities €3.3 million (US$3.7 million), a Madrid prosecutor said in a statement, adding it had presented a claim to a local court.
Mourinho left Real Madrid in 2013 to manage English club Chelsea for a second spell before signing with United in 2016.
Prosecutors said he had failed to declare revenues from his image rights in his Spanish income tax declarations from 2011 and 2012, “with the aim of obtaining illicit profits”.
They said Mourinho had already settled a previous claim relating to his Spanish taxes, which resulted in a penalty of €1.15 million in 2014.
But tax authorities later found that some of the information presented in that settlement was incorrect, the prosecutors said.
The claims against Mourinho come amid a lengthening list of tax fraud cases involving soccer stars in Spain.
Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo has been called to testify on July 31 in Madrid on allegations that he hid income from tax authorities between 2011 and 2014.
Ronaldo, accused of evading €14.7 million in tax, is facing four charges of fraud through offshore companies between 2011 and 2014.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez insisted yesterday Ronaldo will be staying at the Spanish giants Real Madrid and no offer has been received to tempt him away.
Unhappy Ronaldo has been linked to Manchester United and other top clubs after reportedly threatening to leave Real and quit Spain after running into problems with tax authorities.
“Ronaldo is a Real player and will continue to be so as far as we are concerned,” Perez told Marca sports daily yesterday. “No offer has been received for him.”
According to media reports, Ronaldo is unsettled at Madrid because he believes Real did not back him as fully as he had hoped in his dispute with the taxman.
And he has also complained on multiple occasions in the past at his treatment at the hands of Real supporters, who have resorted to jeering and booing his performance on the pitch.
In an earlier report Marca said Ronaldo has told his teammates he was leaving and “there is no turning back”.
Portuguese sports daily A Bola had also claimed that Perez had already been informed of the 32-year-old’s decision.
However, Perez said that he had not spoken to Ronaldo, who is on duty for Portugal at the Confederations Cup in Russia, which ends on July 2.
Even so, Perez said he was convinced Ronaldo would stay and affirmed that his Real contract was protected by a €1 billion release clause.
“I have not spoken with him. We don’t want to disturb his concentration with the national team,” said Perez.
“But something really bizarre would have to happen if he were to leave this club.”