Jose Mourinho accused of tax fraud in Spain

After Cristiano Ronaldo was accused of tax fraud in Spain, the man hoping to take advantage of his woes by luring him to Manchester has also fallen foul of the authorities.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has become the second big name to be fingered this summer after he was accused of two counts of fraud in 2011 and 2012 when he managed Real Madrid.

He is said to owe the authorities €3.3m. A claim for the money has been presented at a local court, reports the Daily Mail.

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Mourinho has yet to comment on the allegations, but the paper says part of the latest case involves "incorrect" information relating to a previous case that was settled in 2014.

"Mourinho is the latest big name in football to have been accused of tax fraud in Spain," says The Independent, which reminds readers that last year Barcelona star Lionel Messi was handed a 21-month suspended prison sentence.

The news also "comes immediately after it was announced that Cristiano Ronaldo will testify in his own tax fraud case next month", adds the paper.

"Ronaldo took legal advantage of what is known in Spain as 'the Beckham law' – which allows foreign sportspersons to pay 24.75 per cent income tax, rather than the 48 per cent applied to Spanish nationals. Athletes must still, however, pay taxes on other income earned in Spain.

"In Ronaldo's case, the former Manchester United winger is accused of having diverted some €150m of advertising revenue through a shell company in the British Virgin Islands."

Other stars to have fallen foul of the tax laws include Neymar, Radamel Falcao, Javier Mascherano and Ricardo Carvalho, says the Daily Telegraph.

Like many others, the investigation into Mourinho focuses on image rights, adds the paper, with the current Man Utd boss accused of trying to gain an "illicit benefit".

He may not be the last. "It is possible that the Spanish tax authorities will announce further investigations into other individuals before the end of this month," says the paper.