Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has accepted a one-year suspended prison sentence over a tax fraud, according to reports in Spain.
Mundo Deportivo claims Mourinho has accepted the charge after being placed under investigation by the Spanish authorities, where he was accused of defrauding them of €1.9million (£1.78m).
The case, which closed closed against him in November 2017, relates to the time he spent in charge of Real Madrid.
“I did not answer, I did not argue. I paid and signed with the state that I am in compliance and the case is closed,” Mourinho told reporters as he left the court in Pozuelo de Alarcon last November.
It is reported that Mourinho has now accepted in writing that he concealed from the treasury his income from image rights corresponding to the years 2011 and 2012, when he was managing Real Madrid.
He was accused of using offshore companies in Ireland, the British Virgin Islands and New Zealand to conceal his earnings, totalling around €3.3million (£2.9m) – of which he has been fined 60%.
However, the crime also carries a six-month prison sentence for each year of fraud and the Spanish paper now claims the United boss has now finally accepted a compliance agreement that prevents him from going to trial and commutes his prison sentence – meaning he will not serve any actual time in jail.
Furthermore, first-time offenders in Spain do not serve sentences of two years or less under current laws.
Spanish authorities have cracked down on offenders in recent years, with Alexis Sanchez handed a 16-month suspended sentence earlier this year.Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are other high-profile names to fall foul.
It is claimed the prosecuting court will be informed of the deal in the coming days.