Cristiano Ronaldo faces tax probe over image rights
Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has come under fire from the Spanish tax authorities for allegedly failing to declare over €14.7 million ($16.4 million) in revenue derived from image rights.
It’s alleged that in the period between 2011 to 14, the forward “intentionally” didn’t declare the money he earned fromimage rights.
Madrid’s regional state prosecutor alleged that the player used an offshore company to “create a screen in order to hide his total income from Spain’s tax office”.
Ronaldo’s management company Gestifute said in a statement: “The Spanish prosecutor today filed a complaint against Cristiano Ronaldo, and not a lawsuit, which is substantially different.”
The statement added: “It is clear that the player's revenues for image rights are considered as capital and may in no case be considered as of a sporting activity.”
In July 2016, Barcelona star Lionel Messi was given a suspended two-year prison sentence for tax evasion relating to offshore image rights companies.
Did you enjoy reading this story? Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories like this sent straight to your inbox
Today’s top stories:
Broadcom and Sony settle PlayStation patent dispute
Chamber of Commerce calls for stronger IP under NAFTA
