Messi summons over Spain tax fraud

A Spanish judge has summoned Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi to appear in court on 17 September over tax fraud allegations.

The 25-year-old Argentine, who has four times been named World Player of the Year, and his father are accused of defrauding the Spanish authorities of more than 4m euros (£3.4m).

They are suspected of using companies abroad - in Belize and Uruguay - to sell the rights to use Messi's image.

They both deny the allegations.

Messi's net salary from Barcelona is said to be about 16m euros a year, making him one of the world's most highly-paid sportspeople.

He has also signed multi-million-dollar endorsements with commercial sponsors around the world.

The player and his father, Jorge, are accused of three times defrauding the Spanish state of taxes.

The income related to his image rights included contracts with Banco Sabadell, Danone, Adidas, Pepsi-Cola, Proctor and Gamble and the Kuwait Food Company.

If he is convicted, Messi could face up to six years in prison and a big fine, according to Spain's Efe news agency.

He wrote on his Facebook page, after the allegations became known last week: "We have never committed any infringement. We have always fulfilled all our tax obligations."

Messi's achievements on the field have made him one of the most marketable in the business.

He came from a modest background and has overcome a serious health issue, joining Barcelona as a 13-year-old in 2000 and making his first-team debut only three years later.

He was ranked 10th among Forbes' list of sports stars' incomes this month.

The president of Barcelona FC, Sandro Rosell, has said the club has no doubt that the superstar is innocent of tax avoidance.

Messi is due to play a prominent role in the Adidas World Cup marketing campaign.

Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer told reporters that the company "will continue to work with Lionel. He's the best football player in the world and we are happy that we have him".

But the allegations are a big blow to the prestige of Messi, who has long been seen as a more humble figure than most top-class footballers.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22987229

Messi overtakes Maradona's Argentina tally

GOALS.COM: The Barcelona star netted three times on Friday to take his haul for the national team to 35 - one more than the Albiceleste legend

Lionel Messi has overtaken Diego Maradona in the Argentina goalscoring charts following his hat-trick in Friday's 4-0 international friendly win over Guatemala.

The Barcelona star opened the scoring after 15 minutes of play with his 33rd goal for the Albiceleste, before equalling Maradona on 34 when he converted a spot kick shortly before the half-time whistle.

His second-half goal made it 4-0 to Argentina and saw him overtake the 52-year-old in the all-time goalscoring charts with his 35th strike.

Nevertheless, Messi has remained calm following his latest achievement and has downplayed the significance of surpassing Maradona.

"Having overtaken Maradona is not important. The main thing was to end this friendly well as a team, which isn't easy ahead of the holidays," the forward told reporters.

Messi's hat-trick saw him move to joint second spot in the Argentina goalscoring charts alongside Hernan Crespo, but he still has a long way to go if he is to become the national team's all-time leading goalscorer as Gabriel Batistuta sits atop with 56 goals.

Player	Career	Goals	Caps	Avg/Game
Gabriel Batistuta	1991-2002	56	78	0.718
Hernan Crespo	1995-2007	35	64	0.555
Lionel Messi	2005-present	35	82	0.427
Diego Maradona	1977-1994	34	91	0.374
Luis Artime	1961-1967	24	25	0.960

Footballer Lionel Messi investigated for tax fraud in Spain

Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi and his father are being investigated in Spain for allegedly defrauding the state of more than 4m euros (£3.4m).

The 25-year-old Argentina forward and his father, Jorge Horacio, are suspected of filing fraudulent tax returns for 2007-09, officials say.

The World Player of the Year expressed his surprise, denying the allegation.

His Barcelona net salary is said to be some 16m euros a year, making him one of the world's highest-paid athletes.

He has also signed a number of multimillion-dollar endorsements with major sponsors around the globe.

Image rights

On Wednesday, a complaint signed by prosecutor Raquel Amado was filed at the courthouse in Gava - the affluent Barcelona district where Messi lives.

Judges at the courthouse must accept the complaint before the suspects can be charged, reports say.

The player and his father are accused of three crimes of defrauding the state of taxes related to income from the use of his image.

They are suspected of using companies abroad - in Belize and Uruguay - to sell the rights to use the image.

The accusation is that with the help of firms based outside Spain, where he lives and plays club football, Messi and his father avoided paying more than 4m euros in tax.

If convicted, Messi could face up to six years in prison and a large fine, according to Spain's EFE news agency.

Responding to the allegations, Messi expressed his surprise, saying he had only learned about the investigation against him through the media.

He wrote on his Facebook page: "We have never committed any infringement. We have always fulfilled all our tax obligations, following the advices of our tax consultants who will take care of clarifying this situation."

Argentina's media also appeared puzzled by Wednesday's development, with the Clarin newspaper describing it as "unexpected news".

Barcelona FC have not commented on the allegations.

The investigation comes as the Spanish authorities step up their efforts to clamp down on tax fraud, as the government tries to balance its budget during a continuing economic crisis, the BBC's Tom Burridge in Madrid reports.

World's best?

Messi, who comes from a humble background and has overcome a serious health issue, joined Barcelona as a 13-year-old in 2000, and made his first-team debut three years later.

He soon became one of the most influential players at the Catalan team, winning Europe's most prestigious club competition - the Champions League - three times.

Last year, Messi scored a record 91 goals for club and country in a calendar year.

The four-time World Player of the Year is now considered by many experts to be one of football's best ever players.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22877408