Profits at Irish arm of soccer agency Gestifute climb to €26m
Pre-tax profits at the Irish arm of the international soccer agency, Gestifute that represents Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo, have soared to almost €26m.
The accounts for Gestifute International Ltd show it paid €20m in dividends to its shareholders. Gestifute was founded by super agent Jorge Mendes who represents Ronaldo, as well as Manchester United manager Mourinho and a host of other international stars. The company’s controlling party is Start SGPS, a Portuguese-registered firm that is Mr Mendes’s holding company.
One of the Dublin company’s Irish directors, consultant Liam Grainger resigned in April this year. The tax affairs of a number of Mr Mendes’ high profile clients have come under the spotlight in recent times.
In a statement earlier this year, Mr Mendes said his activities are limited to helping strike pay negotiations for his clients. The other Irish-born director in Gestifute International Ltd, Andy Quinn is a former managing partner of Dublin accountancy firm Moore Stephens. Mr Quinn stepped down from his role at Moore Stephens in August. Moore Stephens has been closely associated with Mr Mendes setting up a number of companies in Ireland.
Separate accounts show the cash pile at a connected Dublin firm to Gestifute, Multisports and Image Management totalled €5m. Another Irish-based connected firm is Polaris Sports Ltd. Mr Quinn is also a director of that firm, which holds €5.85m in cash.
