Mascherano charged with tax fraud

Javier Mascherano is charged with tax fraud by Spanish authorities.

The Barcelona man is alleged to have avoided declaring the total income from image rights between 2011 and 2012 by using companies based on foreign shores.

The midfielder, 31, joined Barca from Liverpool in August 2010 for £17.25m.

Public prosecutors in Spain claim Argentina global Mascherano defrauded authorities of $945,385 in 2011 and $1,558,279 the following year.

As such, Mascherano will likely be asked to enter a guilty plea with the state, while a Spanish judge is yet to decide on whether his case should go to trial.

They also reported that the footballer, who has made no comment on the allegations, this month paid the money owed plus nearly 200,000 euros (£147,895) interest. Neymar’s parents have denied the accusations levelled at their son.

Mascherano is the latest high-profile soccer player to be accused of tax fraud following the likes of his Barcelona and Argentina team mate Lionel Messi, who has been caught up in a similar case involving earnings from image rights.

Bayern Munich star Xabi Alonso is also on the list of players being investigated, and per the Associated Press (via Fox Sports), he took to Twitter to deny any wrongdoing, saying he has “fulfilled each and every one of his fiscal obligations”.