Ronaldo fined € 3.2m in tax evasion case
Star to make Juve debut at Chievo as reigning champs seek to extend streak to eight Serie A titles
>> MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo will be fined €3.2 million and sentenced to 24 months in prison, a sentence he is unlikely to serve, after settling a tax evasion case with Spanish tax authorities, the prosecutor said yesterday.
The 33-year-old is accused of evading €5.7 million in taxes. He has denied the allegations.
Ronaldo is unlikely to go to prison as Spanish law states a sentence of under two years for a first offence can be served on probation.
The football star will be required to pay the €3.2-million fine plus the €5.7 million in back taxes, €1 million in accrued interest and €250 per day for the 48 months covering the prison sentence.
This amount is likely to be only part of the striker’s fines over the case, which are expected to rise to around €19 million in total.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo will kick his first ball in Serie A at troubled Chievo on the weekend of Aug 18/19 when new club Juventus begin their bid for a record eighth straight league title.
The fixture list for the 2018-19 season of the Italian championship was announced on Thursday with all eyes on where the superstar attacker, signed for €100 million from European champions Real Madrid earlier this month, would begin what he called “a new adventure”.
Juventus are strong favourites to further cement their domestic dominance following the Portuguese international’s arrival, with the league’s other big hitters in a transition period.
Napoli, who finished four points behind Juve last year, will be a different prospect from the free-flowing purists of recent years after replacing new Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri with Carlo Ancelotti, a double winner with the Premier League club in 2010.
Ancelotti begins his new job with a tough away trip to Lazio, who were top scorers last season with 89 goals and only missed out on Champions League football on the final day after a dramatic defeat by Inter Milan.
Three-time Champions League winner Ancelotti follows that up with the visit of AC Milan, themselves hoping to rebuild after being taken over by American hedge fund Elliott Management earlier this month.
Juventus will host Lazio in the second week of the season on Aug 26, the first proper test for the reigning champions and 33-year-old Ronaldo in what should be his home debut.
Roma, who begin at Torino, have already brought in 11 new players after finishing third and reaching the Champions League semi-finals last season, but doubts remain after they sold fan favourite Radja Nainggolan to Inter and goalkeeper Alisson to Liverpool for a record-busting €72.5 million.