Bayern Munich star Xabi Alonso has been accused of tax fraud by prosecutors in Madrid, according to a report from El Confidencial.
The city’s chief prosecutor, José Javier Polo, has ordered an investigation into the Spanish international in a case similar to that of Barcelona’s Javier Mascherano, and relating to their time together at Liverpool.
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According to El Confidencial, both men sold their image rights to a so-called ‘ghost company’ in 2009. Alonso is believed to have sold his to Kardzali Madeira.
As the companies were based in tax havens, the players were able to illegally evade tax – in Mascherano’s case, around €1.5 million
Mascherano was sentenced to one year in prison in January of this year, but was able to avoid this by paying a €1 million fine and the unpaid tax. Spanish publication El Espanol suggests that Alonso will follow a similar path.
A representative for Alonso declined to comment on the matter when contacted by El Confidencial.
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