Report: Barcelona’s Javier Mascherano sentenced to year in prison
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.
More Stories
CHELSEA 5-0 WEST HAM: BLUES HUMILIATE HAMMERS, CLIMB UP TO 7TH ON EPL TABLE
Just three days after beating Tottenham, head coach Mauricio Pochettino rallied his young players to claim a second London...
EPL: IF WE DON’T GET NINE POINTS, ARSENAL WILL WIN TITLE – GUARDIOLA
Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, has warned his players that they cannot afford to drop any point in their last...
EXCLUSIVE: DANGER LOOMS AS MORE THAN HALF OF GOLDEN EAGLETS SQUAD FAIL MRI
By Ajape Sefiu A. Once again, the Golden Eaglets are literally racing against time to present a team for a...
FULL LIST: BONIFACE NAMED IN BUNDESLIGA TEAM OF SEASON
Bayer Leverkusen and Nigerian striker, Victor Boniface, has been listed in the 2023/2024 Bundesliga Team of the Season. In the...
SUPER EAGLES: FINIDI UNWILLING TO WORK WITH AMOKACHI, AMUNEKE
Newly appointed Super Eagles head coach, Finidi George has no plan to work with his former teammates, Daniel Amokachi and...
SUPER EAGLES: NFF, ENYIMBA LOCKED IN TALKS OVER FINIDI
The Nigeria Football Federation announced Finidi as the new Super Eagles coach early this week but Enyimba, the club he...