Report: Barcelona’s Javier Mascherano sentenced to year in prison

January 22, 2016

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Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano has reportedly been sentenced to a year in prison and fined €815,00 (£620,000) for tax evasion.
According to El Mundo, the Argentinian admitted two counts of tax fraud in court today but will hope to avoid serving time in jail by paying a larger fine.
In a statement released on his Twitter account this afternoon, the 31-year-old said that he was let down by other people who took care of his finances.
“I’m a sporting professional, I don’t have a great understanding of tax and legal matters,” he wrote. “Therefore, to deal with what are for me technical and complicated matters, I have to rely on other people.
“Throughout all my career I have been an honest person, responsible and respectful of my teammates and the clubs that I have played for and the countries I have lived in.
“I reserve the possibility of action against those who have badly advised me by recommending something that was not right.”
Mascherano, who joined Barcelona from Liverpool in 2010, admitted fraud last year and according to a court filing has repaid €1.75m (£1.35m), the full amount he owed plus interest.