The taxman lurks in the stands

SPAIN’S football clubs allegedly owe more tax than they admit.

Instead of the €482 million that the Liga Profesional de Futbol (LPF) acknowledged at the end of last season, clubs owed €564 million, maintained Spain’s tax collecting authority.

Neither did they cut their tax debt by €165 million as the LPF claimed, Hacienda continued. Last season’s true figure stands at just €99 million and represents a 15 per cent reduction instead of the claimed 25 per cent, Hacienda argued.

Possibly hoping to underline the clubs’ subsequent efforts, the LPF gave inexact figures for the preceding season, the tax authority continued.

Determined to obtain its dues, Hacienda is scrutinising and impounding any relevant sums of money that the clubs obtain via gate-money, television rights and advertising deals.

Reductions in the clubs’ debts corresponds to Hacienda vigilance, administration sources claimed, not self-control on their part or that of the LPF.