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Tax Palaver: Mourinho, Spanish Authorities strike deal

Manchester United Manager Jose Mourinho has reached an agreement with Spanish tax authorities, who have handed him two six-month prison sentences and fined him £1.78m, according to reports in Spain.

Madrid-based newspaper El Mundo claims Mourinho has reached a deal after being accused of defrauding Spain’s Tax Office of €3.3m (£2.9m) in 2011 and 2012 by the country’s state prosecutors.

Mourinho is unlikely to serve any time in jail under the deal as Spanish law states that a sentence of under two years for a first offence can be served on probation.

Manchester United and officials from the court have not commented on the reports.

Spanish authorities have cracked down on tax evasion in recent years, with a number of high-profile players agreeing similar deals to Mourinho.

Cristiano Ronaldo – who played under Mourinho at Real – also received a suspended two-year prison sentence and was fined nearly £17m, while the likes of Lionel Messi, Alexis Sanchez and Javier Mascherano have also had running battles with Spanish tax Authorities on the same issue. 

Mourinho is likely to allow his lawyers handle the issue now to give him breathing space in his hour of worry.  The former two-time Chelsea coach has recently been at logger heads with his critics and fans alike following what has been dubbed his biggest defeat no thanks to a 3-0 demolition last month by Tottenham.

The ‘Special One’ who has maintained that he remains the best despite the much talked about defeat is certainly not in the mood to allow migraine over tax issues choosing instead to tell his critics he deserves respect as many of his peers are yet to achieve what he has achieved in the premier league. “I have won more than all of them put together.  It is three for me two for them,” he declared.

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