Tax fraud: Spanish judge wants 6 months prison sentence for Costa
The Spanish tax authority has asked for a six month prison sentence for Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa, according to a breaking report in AS.
The striker has been accused of defrauding the Spanish state of €1m in relation to his image rights, using third parties to avoid paying the requisite fees.
The case has been underway for a year, and relates to the deal between Atletico and Chelsea when the team from London bought the forward back in 2014.
Costa has been in trouble many times on the pitch over the years, and is now being implicated in similar tax issues to those which have plagued numerous Spanish-based sports stars over the years – including Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, most notably.
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Even if the Brazilian-born forward is charged, a suspended sentence or a fine is the usual punishment in cases like this.
We await a response from Costa and his lawyers.