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Jose Mourinho

LONDON. — Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has had a lawsuit filed against him by Spanish prosecutors after he allegedly committed tax fraud during his time as Real Madrid manager.

Prosecutors have accused the Portuguese of defrauding Spanish authorities of €3.3m (£2.9m; $3.6m) in taxes between 2011 and 2012. He has yet to comment on the claim. A prosecutor said he did not declare income from the use of his image rights in order to get an “illicit benefit”.

The Manchester United manager, who is currently on holiday, follows Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Radamel Falcao, Javier Mascherano and Ricardo Carvalho as players and coaches who have worked in Spain and now find themselves under investigation.

Mourinho is alleged to have been charged on the basis of an image rights agreement, to obtain what the prosecutor declared was an “illicit benefit”.

Other big names in football have been accused of tax fraud in Spain recently.

Those include Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been summoned to testify on July 31 in a case in which he is accused of hiding income from tax authorities. He denies the allegations.

The allegations that Ronaldo defrauded the Spanish revenue of €14 million, also related to image rights and have prompted the suggestion that he will leave Real Madrid this summer, although potential destination clubs are treating that with caution.

There have been reports in Spain that Ronaldo would be prepared to fight the case in court and risk the far more severe penalties were he to be found guilty.

The Spanish tax office can investigate alleged fraud up to four years back in its records. The Spanish tax year runs, unlike in Britain, over the course of a normal calendar year, ending on December 31. However, tax returns can be returned up to six months after the end of the tax year which also give a de facto extension to the powers of investigation.

For example, tax on any earnings in 2012 could be paid as late June 30, 2013 which would also enable the Spanish tax authorities to look back that far in their records for what they consider to be more potential breaches. It is possible that the Spanish tax authorities will announce further investigations into other individuals before the end of this month.

Mourinho was manager of Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013 before he returned to the Premier League for his second spell in charge of Chelsea. The Spanish tax office’s inquiries have so far focussed on foreign nationals who worked and played in La Liga. Mourinho has not yet commented on the allegations. — Sky Sports.