Cases Of Taxation Fraud Faced By Biggest Soccer Stars To Date

Several sports personalities allegedly could not cope up with proper tax proceedings paving the way for possible criminal proceedings as listed below:

• Davor Suker – In spite of his glowing Real Madrid career, this goal scoring machine was found guilty of tax evasion pertaining to image rights in 1998. He had to pay a compensation of 258,592 euros for gaining a clean chit.
• Romario – This scoring legend from Brazil was fined with a hefty 800,000 Euros and sentenced to community service for two and half years in 2009 courtesy the tax fraud conducted by him between 1996 and 1997. In spite of his heightening debts and legal woes, he entered politics only to be elected as the Brazilian deputy in 2010 and as the senator four years hence.
• UliHoeness – He was sentenced behind bars for three and a half years after being convicted with tax evasion on March 2014. He was reinstated as the president of Bayern Munich after being released from the prison in February 2016 where he served a sentence of 21 months.
• Javier Mascherano – After being convicted with tax fraud, the Argentina and Barcelona teammate of Lionel Messi was ordered to pay a fine worth 815,000 euros and also return the 1.5 million euros evaded. He admitted to tax evasion charges and thereby avoided trial proceedings.
• Luis Figo – The Spanish National Court had claimed 2.4 million from the former soccer master. However, the case was dismissed three years later when no substantial evidence could be accumulated against him.
• Samuel Eto’o – This former striker from Cameroon was stamped with the embezzlement charges between 2006 and 2009 in relation to his image rights with sports brand Puma and his wages from Catalan club. He was accused of tax evasion worth 3.9 million euros during his tryst with Barcelona club in between 2004 and 2009. Spanish prosecutors imposed a fine amounting to 18 million euros and sentenced him to prison for 10 years.
• Jose Mourinho – The manager of Manchester United club was accused with charges of tax evasion in 2011 and 2012.
• Cristiano Ronaldo – The soccer star was accused of dodging tax payment worth 14.7 million euros. The Portuguese hero is facing four fraud charges coming from offshore companies within the time frame of 2011 and 2014.
• Lionel Messi – The Argentinian soccer star was convicted along with his father for defrauding the Spanish state with unpaid taxes worth $4.6 million on the image rights of the striker which is controlled by offshore companies located in Belize and Uruguay.
• Neymar – Starting from his playing days at Santos, this Brazilian soccer star had been taunted with taxation issues. He was ordered to pay a fine worth 45 million euros by a Barcelona court. He was further fined with 10 million euros by a Spanish prosecutor in November 2016. Some of his assets worth 43.5 million euros have been reportedly frozen by Brazilian justice officials.
• Radamel Falcao – The Columbian striker was suspected to have failed to declare income earned by him from his image rights in between 2012 and 2013 when he was playing for Atletico Madrid. This paved the way for a tax evasion charge.
• Diego Maradona – The Argentinean football legend was ordered by an Italian court in 2005 to pay a fine worth 37.2 million euros because of tax fraud. However, in November 2012, an Italian court admitted of procedural Euros in the investigative process thus ordering a new inquiry.

However, in some cases, these top athletes fall prey to wrong allegations. In such instances, they can seek help from expert tax fraud & evasion attorneys to defend themselves.