Jorge Messi vented his anger on Spanish radio.
With the announcement that Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi would appear in court on September 17 over accusations of tax fraud, his father Jorge has responded in anger.
It’s said that the four-time Ballon D’Or winner owes the Spanish Inland Revenue £3.4m in unpaid tax, after illegally selling his image rights to foreign countries.
Although Barca and Messi’s major sponsors – most notably Adidas – have given no credit to the claims, if found guilty the 25-year-old could face up to six years in prison.
The star’s father is one of the Argentinian’s representatives and would also face prosecution if found guilty, but Messi senior is understandably not at all happy with the claims.
“It gets our goat that some sections of the media have started a slanderous smear campaign leading to expressions of hate,” Jorge told radio station COPE, quoted in Marca.
“It is very cruel, but we know what to do when this has been cleared up.
“That there is a difference of opinion between our financial advisors and the Inland Revenue is perfectly normal in the case of people that pay a lot in tax. But I can assure you that what we pay annually is an eight figure number.
“We are confident an agreement will be reached.”
The allegations against arguably one of the best players that has ever graced the game has come as quite a shock due to the Argentina international’s clean-cut persona on-and-off the pitch.
Messi is a hero in his home nation and across the world for his rise to global stardom from a modest background and the ability to seemingly stay grounded despite his wealth and fame.
Yet these allegations will certainly smear the forward’s reputation in certain sectors.
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