Football Leaks: Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho deny tax fraud allegations

New Delhi: Hours after a group of European media outlets published reports of purported tax frauds committed by several top players and coaches, super agent Jorge Mendes came out a statement in defence of his clients — Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho.

Mendes's company Gestifute released a detailed statement, claiming:

• Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho are fully compliant with their tax obligations with the Spanish and British tax authorities.
• Neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor José Mourinho have ever been involved in legal proceedings regarding the commission of a tax offense.
• Any insinuation or accusation made to Cristiano Ronaldo or Jose Mourinho over the commission of a tax offense will be reported to the legal authorities and prosecuted.

The company also added that legal action will also be considered against "any insinuation or accusation of that nature related" to Ronaldo or Mourinho.

Arsenal and German star Mesut Ozil, who spent time with the Portuguese duo at Real Madrid, was also named in the reports.

Reputed publications like Der Spiegel of Germany and El Mundo of Spain cite documents provided by the website Football Leaks. And this group of outlets, known as the European Investigative Collaborations, claimed that there will be more revelations.

It's also worth noting that Barcelona players Lionel Messi, Neymar and Javier Mascherano have extended dealings with Spanish tax authorities.

In July, Messi and his father were given a 21 months prison for tax fraud, which they managed to dodge using lacunae in tax laws.