Cristiano Ronaldo said he felt that Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez defending him "was very positive," according to Manu Sainz of AS. Pérez said, "Cristiano isn't someone who is motivated by money. He's hurt, and possibly quite rightly so, because he has tried not to upset anyone. Cristiano isn't a business. He is part of Real Madrid's history." Ronaldo is reportedly "now reconsidering his exit from Madrid," although both the player and president will "discuss the matter face to face" after the Confederations Cup (AS, 6/21). SPORT reported Ronaldo is willing to pay the €14.8M ($16.5M) "to avoid a possible jail sentence" related to accusations he defrauded Spain's tax authorities (SPORT, 6/21).
GESTIFUTE DEFENDS MOURINHO: In London, Keegan & Jenson reported ManU Manager José Mourinho "has come out fighting in a row with the Spanish tax authorities," claiming he paid more than €26M ($29M) between '10 and '13. A statement by Mourinho's agency, Gestifute, said, "Jose Mourinho has not received any notification with regards to the news published today. To this date, neither the Spanish tax authorities, nor the public prosecutor have contacted Jose Mourinho or his advisers, who were hired for the inspection process" (DAILY MAIL, 6/21).
DI MARÍA STRIKES DEAL: REUTERS' Paul Day reported former Real Madrid player Ángel Di María reached an agreement with Spanish prosecutors over a "tax evasion charge related to his image rights," a Madrid-based court said. Di María, who now plays for Paris St. Germain, will plead guilty to two charges of tax fraud, carrying an eight-month prison sentence for each, and pay a €2M ($2.2M) settlement, the court said. Under Spanish law, a first-time offender "is not required to serve time in jail for a sentence below two years" (REUTERS, 6/21). MUNDO DEPORTIVO reported James Rodríguez is the latest Real Madrid player "to have problems with the tax authorities." He is reportedly being investigated "over how he has managed revenue from his image rights the past three seasons" (MUNDO DEPORTIVO, 6/21).
