Mourinho Has A Big Distraction Ahead Of Chelsea Clash
Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
With his tax fraud case due to be heard in Madrid on Friday, Jose Mourinho has made adjustments to United’s preparations for the much-awaited nail-biting Premier League fixture against Chelsea kicking-off on Sunday, according to ESPN FC.
The Portuguese tactician has been called for answering, concerning the accusations that he defrauded Spain’s tax office of €3.3 million during 2011 and 2012 while he reigned as the gaffer of Los Blancos. The 54-year-old is due in court in Pozuelo de Alarcon in the Spanish capital at 10 a.m. on November 3, just 48 hours prior to the Red Devils’ clash with the Blues at Stamford Bridge.
According to a few sources, the Old Trafford outfit is yet to comment regarding Mourinho’s judgment of whether to attend the hearing or not. Regardless, the remarkable coach is presumed to hold his news conference to preview the game against Chelsea on Thursday, despite his usual slot being on Friday.
ESPN FC claims that the players have been notified that they might have to practice later than normal on Friday afternoon, before flying to London on Saturday.
In June, Spanish prosecutors released a statement accusing the gaffer of two counts of tax fraud, insisting that corporate structures were used by the accused in order to conceal revenues generated from his image rights.
The Portuguese is asked to provide testimony at the Court of First Instance and Instruction No.4, where Real Madrid star forward Cristiano Ronaldo testified recently, in the presence of judge Monica Gomez Ferrer, in his hearing on July 31.
Mourinho is accused by the prosecutors at Spain’s Hacienda tax authority of a €3.3m fraud on image rights income he received when he was the Real Madrid coach in 2011 and 2012. Certain companies in Ireland, New Zealand and the British Virgin Islands were allegedly utilised to hide this income from the Spanish authorities, as per the prosecutors.
Nonetheless, when the charges were issued initially in June through a statement from his representatives, the ex-Madrid coach rejected them.
The statements included: “Jose Mourinho, who lived in Spain from June 2010 until May 2013, paid more than €26 million in taxes, with an average tax rate over 41 percent, and accepted the regularisation proposals made by the Spanish tax authorities in 2015 regarding the years of 2011 and 2012 and entered into a settlement agreement regarding 2013.
“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.”
Mourinho will reportedly be represented on Friday by Jose Antonio Choclan, the very same person who represented Cristiano Ronaldo.
Written by Hritwik NE 
Passionate writer, coated in Blue.