By Gareth Messenger
June 13 – Barcelona forward and World Player of the Year Lionel Messi is under investigation by Spanish tax authorities for allegedly defrauding the state of more than €4m. The Argentina international and his father Jorge have reportedly filed fraudulent tax returns for 2007, 2008 and 2009, according to a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office, for tax crimes in Catalonia.
Messi, who turns 26 this month, is one of the world’s highest-paid sportspeople with a salary of just under €16 million a season, according to Forbes, where he is currently ranked 10th on their latest list of top-earning athletes. In addition to his wages from Barcelona, Messi collects an additional similar figure in endorsements from sponsors including Adidas and Pepsi.
The 25-year-old Ballon D’Or winner has made no comment on the allegation and a Barcelona spokesman has not immediately responded to the allegations made towards Messi and his father.
Yesterday (Wednesday), a complaint was signed by prosecutor Raquel Amado which was filed at a courthouse in Gava, a district of Barcelona where Messi currently lives. The judges at the courthouse must accept the complaint before the suspects can be charged.
Messi is currently in South America for the World Cup 2014 qualifiers and on Tuesday came on for the final half-hour of Argentina’s tie against Ecuador in Quito which ended in a 1-1 draw. He said he had no knowledge of the charges until they were filed at the courthouse in Spain.
He wrote on his Facebook page: “We have never committed any infringement. We have always fulfilled all our tax obligations, following the advices of our tax consultants who will take care of clarifying this situation.”
The La Masia academy graduate and his father use companies in South America to sell the footballer’s image rights. The prosecutor claims that by operating offshore, Messi has avoided paying €4m in tax in Spain, where Messi lives and plays his club football.
According to Spain’s EFE news agency, if convicted, Messi could face six years in prison and a huge fine.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734850197labto1734850197ofdlr1734850197owedi1734850197sni@r1734850197egnes1734850197sem.h1734850197terag1734850197. Gareth is Editor-in-Chief,www.laliganews.tv Follow Gareth on twitter: @G_Messenger