Why Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is in court facing tax fraud charges

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Standard Sport3 November 2017

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is juggling a busy schedule ahead of Sunday's return to Chelsea as he faces a Spanish court date on Friday.

​Mourinho shuffled his routine and faced the media on Thursday - a day earlier than is customary - to appear before a Madrid court at 9am to answer charges of alleged tax evasion.

Though Mourinho is readying his team for a trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, the hearing will likely be occupying his thoughts just 48 hours before the big clash.

Here, we look at key questions surrounding the case.

What is Mourinho alleged to have done?

Reuters

The Spanish authorities opened a case against the 54-year-old in June for alleged tax evasion during his time as Real Madrid boss. It is claimed he did not declare revenue related to his image rights in 2011 and 2012 and owes the Spanish state around £2.9million.

What has Mourinho said?

EPA

He has said very little on the matter. His representatives, Gestifute Media, issued a statement in June insisting Mourinho had complied with his tax obligations. It said Mourinho had paid more than 26 million euros (£23million) in tax in Spain at an average rate of more than 41 per cent and that, in 2015, he had accepted "regularisation proposals" and a settlement agreement regarding previous years. The statement continued: "The Spanish government in turn, through the tax department, issued a certificate in which it attested that he had regularised his position and was in compliance with all his tax obligations."

Is this an unusual case?

Not really. The Spanish authorities have been cracking down on allegations of tax fraud and a number of leading figures in football have been investigated. Argentinians Angel Di Maria, Javier Mascherano and Lionel Messi have all been punished for tax evasion in recent years, while Cristiano Ronaldo is currently fighting tax fraud charges and strenuously denies wrongdoing. Messi was fined 2.1 million euros (£1.8million) and received a 21-month prison sentence last year after he and his father were found guilty of defrauding the tax department to the tune of 4.1 million euros (£3.5million). Messi is not expected to serve time in jail.

Additional reporting by PA

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