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Spain’s taxman approves Ronaldo multi-million tax settlement

Spanish tax authorities have given their ok for football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to pay close to €19 million ($22 million) to settle a tax fraud claim.

Spain's taxman approves Ronaldo multi-million tax settlement
ristiano Ronaldo celebrates Real Madrid's winning the third Champions League title in May. Photo: AFP

Prosecutors in Madrid said on Friday that the deal with tax authorities and Ronaldo's advisors also includes a two-year jail sentence which he won't serve.

Sentences of up to two years are generally not implemented in Spain for first-time offenders in non-violent crimes.   

The 33-year-old former Real Madrid striker, who has moved to Juventus, appeared in court last July near Madrid to answer four counts of tax evasion.   

Prosecutors allege the five-time Ballon d'Or winner hid income generated in Spain from his image rights from tax authorities.

He is alleged to have used companies in low-tax foreign jurisdictions — notably the British Virgin Islands and Ireland — to avoid having to pay the tax otherwise due.

In 2014, Spanish authorities say he was late in declaring that year just €11.5 millions of revenue earned in Spain for the period 2011-2014 when his earnings in his country of residence totalled €43 million.

The Spanish taxman also found he did not declare €28.4 million in image rights agreed for 2015-2020, leaving €14.7 million owing.

His legal team had blamed the affair on a simple different interpretation of which revenue he was obliged to declare in Spain.   

Had the case gone further, without the player offering a full settlement, he could have faced a fine of a reported 28 millions euros as well as a three-and-a-half-year jail term, according to the Spanish tax office union Gestha.

Ronaldo's big La Liga rival, Barcelona's Argentinian star Lionel Messi, paid a two-million-euro fine in 2016 in his own tax wrangle and received a 21-month jail term.

The prison sentence was later reduced to a further fine of €252,000 equivalent to €400 per day of the original term.

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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