Xabi Alonso Denies Tax Fraud : Case Follows Mascherano’s €1.5m Back-Payment
Former Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso has denied that he is guilty of defrauding Spain’s tax authorities. The country’s revenue services claim that Alonso – currently with Bayern Munich – defrauded the state by having his image rights paid to companies based in overseas countries. A complaint has been lodged with Spain’s prosecutor who has six months to decide whether or not Alonso has a case to answer. The alleged offences date back to 2010.
This afternoon, Alonso denied the allegations. He claimed that he had complied with “each and every one” of his tax obligations and pledged to co-operate with any enquiry.
The news comes just days after it was revealed that Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano had paid €1.5million plus interest in back taxes in respect of taxes from the fiscal years 2011 and 2012. Mascherano had his image rights paid to companies in Madeira and Miami in a bid to evade paying tax on part of his earnings.
Both Alonso and Mascherano played for Liverpool, Alonso between 2004 and 2009, Mascherano between 2007 and 2010. There is no suggestion that there were any wrongdoings by either player during their time at Anfield, but the payment of image rights is a contentious issue. The UK tax authorities aren’t known for their keenness to pursue wealthy taxpayers – certainly not footballers – but the payment of image rights to offshore companies is believed to be popular.
