Messi charged with Fraud

[Grey Fox]

From BBC

Barcelona's footballer Lionel Messi and his father are being investigated in Spain for allegedly defrauding the state of more than 4m euros (£3.4m).
The Argentina forward and his father, Jorge, are suspected of filing fraudulent tax returns for 2007-09, Spanish officials say.
The 25-year-old World Player of the Year has so far made no comment on the allegation.
More soon.

 

[Locotoro]

I thought it was going to be a joke thread but wowser

Having said that he earns a salary of 16million euros a year (not including sponserships and endorsements) so that's maybe 3-4 months wages

 

[tototoner]

wonder if he knows Harry's lawyer

 

[coopsy13]

Didnt mean to put disagree. Don't know how to remove it.. My bad

 

[Real_madyidd]

He is being hounded out. We better sign him then.

 

[Liquidator]

And in similar vein - Freund has been charged with messiness.

 

[Cavehillspur]

Things could get messy for Messi.

Not sure how their jurisdiction works in Spain, would this fall under Catalonia? If this was to go to court, say for example, in Madrid he could be in some rather hot water Im guessing.

 

[Rocksuperstar]

What's the betting this is more to do with his old man? '07-'09, he was 21 and playing his first season as a full time member of the starting eleven. I doubt he'd have time or care about his finances and would've signed that over to someone else to handle.

Aside from that, he's like some kind of angel to the people of Spain, i can't see them letting him take the wrap for this if they can possibly blame someone else.

 

[JerryGarcia]

wonder if he knows Harry's lawyer

Would be funny if Rosie was involved in this!

If Messi get's locked up (will never happen) will that make Bale the second best player in the world? We should add another £20m too his price tag

 

[Grey Fox]

Updated report from BEEB

Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi and his father are being investigated in Spain for allegedly defrauding the state of more than 4m euros (£3.4m).
The 25-year-old Argentina forward and his father, Jorge Horacio, are suspected of filing fraudulent tax returns for 2007-09, officials say.
The World Player of the Year denied the allegation.
His net annual salary at Barcelona is said to be 16m euros, making him one of the world's highest-paid athletes.
He has also signed a number of multimillion-dollar endorsements with major sponsors around the globe.

On Wednesday, a complaint signed by prosecutor Raquel Amado was filed at the courthouse in Gava - the affluent Barcelona district where Messi lives.
Judges at the courthouse must accept the complaint before the suspects can be charged, reports say.
Messi and his father are suspected of using companies abroad - in Belize and Uruguay - to sell the rights to use the footballer's image.
The accusation is that by using companies based outside Spain, where he lives and plays club football, Messi and his father avoided paying more than 4m euros in tax.
If convicted, Messi could face up to six years in prison and a large fine, according to Spain's EFE news agency.
Responding to the allegation, Messi expressed surprise at Wednesday's development.
He wrote on his Facebook page: "We have never committed any infringement. We have always fulfilled all our tax obligations, following the advices of our tax consultants who will take care of clarifying this situation."
The investigation comes as the Spanish authorities step up their efforts to clamp down on tax fraud, as the government tries to balance its budget during a continuing economic crisis, the BBC's Tom Burridge in Madrid reports.



Messi joined Barcelona as a 13-year-old in 2000, and made his first-team debut three years later.
He soon became one of the most influential players at the Catalan team, winning Europe's most prestigious club competition - the Champions League - three times.
Last year, Messi scored a record 86 goals for club and country in a calendar year.
He is now considered by many experts to be one of football's best eve

 

[Mullers]

If he gets 6 years in prison Levy will be there to offer him a contract when he gets out problem is it will probably take another 6 years of negotiations to sign him.

 

[Spurger King]

Yeah I'm sure this has nothing to do with Madrid being the unofficial club of the government....

 

[alex3]

just tell messi to get harry's lawyer

 

[Kendall]

He's not been charged?

 

[littlemandefoe]

there is a 99% chance Messi WILL NOT go to jail.

However if it was just an average joe like me, there would be a 99% chance I would go to jail.

Its all about who you are.

Unless he's murdered someone he aint going anywhere.

 

[Kendall]

Does Messi have a dog that has opened accounts in Belize?

 

[absolute bobbins]

Strenuously denying any wrongdoing, even the Spanish legal system is not stupid enough to jail Lionel Messi. I doubt that there will be anything more than a fine+payment of overdue taxes with interest

 

[nferno]

This can't have done his golden boy image any good.

 

[absolute bobbins]

This can't have done his golden boy image any good.

Yeah but he will have never been within a thousand miles of paying his own taxes, there would always have been an accountant or tax consultant working through the paperwork. It isn't like doing your self assessment

 

[ClintEastwould]

pitchforks and torches at the ready