September 30 – Barcelona’s Argentine international Javier Mascherano has been charged with two counts of tax evasion in the latest fraud case to hit Spanish-based players.
The former Liverpool midfielder has been charged with two counts of defrauding the Spanish tax authorities of a total of more than €1.5 million, according to Spain’s public prosecutor.
He is alleged to have sought to conceal earnings from his image rights by using companies set up in the United States and Portugal.
Mascherano, who joined Barca in August 2010 for £17.25 million, is accused of defrauding the authorities of €587,822.01 in 2011 and €968,907.76 in 2012.
According to the public prosecutors office, he paid the money owed plus almost 200,000 euros interest this month which could work in his favour if found guilty.
Mascherano’s Barcelona and Argentina team mate Lionel Messi and his father, Jorge, have been caught up in a similar case involving earnings from image rights while Barca’s Brazilian star Neymar has been formally accused of tax evasion.
The Spanish government has recently been cracking down hard on La Liga clubs and players who use image rights to avoid paying higher taxes, the latest alleged fraud reportedly committed in Madeira and Miami.
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