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Leeds United Owner Massimo Cellino Banned By Football League For Tax Evasion

League Championship side Leeds United Owner Massimo Cellino was banned for the rest of this season from being an owner or director of the club, "following his conviction for tax evasion in Italy" in June, according to David Conn of the London GUARDIAN. In a statement the league said that its board based its decision, that Cellino now fails its "owners' and directors' test," on the written judgment of the Italian court, "which Cellino himself had supplied." The offense, for non-payment of VAT on the import to Sardinia of a Land Rover, "is similar to a previous offence for which Cellino was convicted in December," a failure to pay almost €390,000 ($442,000) of import-tax duty on his yacht in '12. Cellino then "managed to overturn the league's ban initially by arguing that the tax evasion offence in itself was not definitely dishonest" -- people are banned from being 30% or more owners or directors of Football League clubs "if they are convicted of an offence of dishonesty." Under British law, such offences "are spent after one year," so Cellino will again have to "play no part in the ownership or executive running of Leeds" until the offence has expired. Cellino has "until October 28 to appeal" (GUARDIAN, 10/19). In Yorkshire, Phil Hay reported Cellino's Football League ban "will turn attention to his future and renew pressure on the Italian to sell the majority stake he controls in United." Cellino bought a 75% shareholding through his firm Eleonora Sport Ltd. in April '14 and has "already survived one ban imposed on him by the Football League." The league confirmed that Cellino's new ban will "run until his latest tax conviction is spent on June 23, 2016" (YORKSHIRE EVENING POST, 10/19). 

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