Mourinho's tax fraud allegations explained
Jose Mourinho shuffled Manchester United's preparations ahead of Sunday's clash with Chelsea because of a Spanish court date.
The Red Devils boss is scheduled to appear before a Madrid court today to answer charges of alleged tax evasion.
Here, we answer your key questions surrounding the case.
The Spanish authorities opened a case against the 54-year-old in June for alleged tax evasion during his time as Real Madrid boss. It is claimed he did not declare revenue related to his image rights in 2011 and 2012 and owes the Spanish state around €3.25m.
He has said very little on the matter. His representatives, Gestifute Media, issued a statement in June insisting Mourinho had complied with his tax obligations. It said Mourinho had paid more than €26m in tax in Spain at an average rate of more than 41% and that, in 2015, he had accepted "regularisation proposals" and a settlement agreement regarding previous years. The statement continued: "The Spanish government in turn, through the tax department, issued a certificate in which it attested that he had regularised his position and was in compliance with all his tax obligations."
Not really. The Spanish authorities have been cracking down on allegations of tax fraud and a number of leading figures in football have been investigated. Argentinians Angel Di Maria, Javier Mascherano and Lionel Messi have all been punished for tax evasion in recent years, while Cristiano Ronaldo is currently fighting tax fraud charges and strenuously denies wrongdoing. Messi was fined €2.1m and received a 21-month prison sentence last year after he and his father were found guilty of defrauding the tax department to the tune of €4.1m. Messi is not expected to serve time in jail.
