Looks like Manchester United will have to prepare for the weekend’s clash against Chelsea with their boss Jose Mourinho. Jose is supposed to be Madrid this Friday to appear in a court for an alleged tax fraud he committed while managing Real Madrid in 2013. As the Portuguese manager heads for Spain to answer the €3.3 million tax fraud case, the Red Devils will have to manage the preparation themselves.
Manchester United are set for a tough game against Chelsea this Sunday in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge. So far no official statement has been made by Manchester officials whether Mourinho would actually be attending the hearing or not. But reports suggest that the manager would be appearing before the court as he has rescheduled his pre-match press conference to Thursday instead of the usual Friday.
Sources close to Old Trafford have indicated that the players have been informed about Jose’s quick trip to Madrid. The team is expected to have an extra training session on Friday before Jose leaves for Spain. The prosecutors in Spain have accused Jose Mourinho of multiple tax frauds while he was managing Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013. The prosecutors accused Mourinho of hiding his income using his close ties to influential corporate structures in the country. Jose denied allegations and stated that he paid more than €26 million in taxes. According to the star manager, he regularly paid his taxes and abided by the regulation and tax laws of the country.
Interestingly, this is not the first time that a player or football manager has been accused in tax evasion case in Spain. Due to the massive fee and popularity of the sport in Spain, tax fraud cases have become quite common in the country recently. Earlier in the year Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo also appeared in a Spanish court for an alleged €14.7m tax fraud. Barcelona star Neymar was also under the scanner. Many believe that Neymar’s move to PSG was fueled by this tax fraud case. The Brazilian was done with the authorities in Spain and wanted to focus on his game. France looked a safer place for him. Neymar is not the only South American to be under the scanner. Neymar’s Barca teammate Lionel Messi and his father were sentenced 21 years to jail for tax fraud. Even Javier Mascherano was also sentenced one year jail by a Barcelona court for tax evasion. The list of footballers facing tax evasion cases in Spain goes long. Many have even left the La Liga and joined other leagues in England, Germany, Italy, and France.
Meanwhile, Manchester United will have to prepare without Coach Jose from Friday. The team is currently sitting in the second spot behind Manchester City in Premier League and will face a tough challenge at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, the defending Premier League champions.
Jeffrey is acting editor in chief of AmazingNews24 with over seven years of experience in the field of online news under his belt. Jeffrey has worked with multiple media houses and is currently leading a team of journalists, sub-editors and writers through his entrepreneurial endeavours.