Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, accused of evading €14.7m in tax, has been summoned to appear before a judge in Spain on July 31, judicial sources told AFP.
Ronaldo, 32, said to have vowed that he would never play for Real Madrid again, was summoned to appear in a Madrid court on July 31 to answer four counts of tax evasion of 14.7 million euro ($16.5m).
Spanish tax authorities are also targeting Jose Mourinho, the Manchester United manager who was on Tuesday accused of evading 3.3 million euro ($3.7 million) in tax during his stay at Real Madrid.
Unhappy Ronaldo, the four-time world player of the year, has left his future at the Spanish giants in doubt and has been linked to United and other top clubs after angrily announcing last week that his “conscience is clear.”
According to media reports Ronaldo is unsettled at Real Madrid because he believes the European champions did not back him as fully as he had hoped in his dispute with the taxman.
And he has also complained on multiple occasions in the past about Real supporters, who have resorted at times to jeering and booing his performance on the pitch.
However club president Florentino Perez disclosed that no offers had been received by Real to tempt Ronaldo away and the club was determined to keep him.
“Ronaldo is a Real player and will continue to be so as far as we are concerned,” Perez told Marca sports daily Tuesday. “No offer has been received for him.”
In an earlier report Marca said Ronaldo has told his teammates he was leaving and “there is no turning back”.
Portuguese sports daily A Bola had also claimed that Perez had already been informed of the player’s decision.
However, Perez said that he had not spoken to Ronaldo, who is on duty for Portugal at the Confederations Cup in Russia, which ends on July 2.
He also confirmed that Ronaldo’s contact was ring-fenced by a one billion euro release clause.
“I have not spoken with him. We don’t want to disturb his concentration with the national team,” said Perez.
“But something really bizarre would have to happen if he were to leave this club.”
Perez said he could understood why the four-times world player of the year had been upset after he was accused last week of tax fraud.
He said that Ronaldo had clearly done nothing wrong and Perez was appalled that the “presumption of innocence is not respected” by the media who have branded the played a delinquent.
