By Andrew Warshaw
October 6 – Months after learning that he would not be charged with tax evasion and could concentrate on his playing career, Lionel Messi looks set after all to stand trial.
A Spanish judge has now rejected the Barcelona and Argentina star’s claim against being named in the case on the grounds his father was responsible for his finances.
Messi, who captained Argentina at the World Cup finals in Brazil in July, and his father Jorge are accused of defrauding the authorities of more than €4m by withholding the money between 2007 and 2009.
The pair, who deny wrongdoing, were given five days to appeal the latest ruling.
The four-time World Player of the Year and his father, Jorge Messi, are suspected of setting up companies in Uruguay and Belize to avoid paying tax in Spain. They have already paid back 5m euro “corrective payment” to the state, equal to the alleged unpaid tax plus interest.
Messi’s net salary from Barcelona is said to be about €16m a year plus multimillion endorsements with commercial sponsors around the world. Messi was recently quoted as saying: “We have always fulfilled our tax obligations following the advice of our tax consultants who will take care of clarifying this situation.”
His lawyers claimed there was no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the player and requested “the dismissal of proceedings to that effect”
That was challenged by the public prosecutor and the judge who ordered the trial ruled: “In this type of crime, it is not necessary for someone to have complete knowledge of all the accounting and business operations nor the exact quantity, rather it is sufficient to be aware of the designs to commit fraud and consent to them.”
If and when it takes place the trial is bound to generate widespread global publicity given Messi’s unique stature in the game. Although a jail sentence would be unlikely, Spanish reports said it was theoretically possible.