Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho gets court date in tax-fraud case

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will appear at a Spanish court to answer allegations of tax fraud on November 3, just two days before his side face his former club Chelsea in the Premier League.

Mourinho, who denies wrongdoing, has been summoned to Pozuelo de Alarcon in Madrid at 10:00 local time (09:00 GMT) on that date, which will come as United prepare for their November 5 trip to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.

The 54-year-old is accused by a Spanish regional prosecutor of defrauding tax authorities to the tune of €3.3million, relating to image rights in the calendar years 2011 and 2012 during his three seasons in charge of Real Madrid.

After being accused in June, Mourinho released a statement through his agent Jorge Mendes’ company Gestifute to stress that he is “in compliance” with all his obligations, having previously settled another claim against him with Spain’s tax authorities.

Gestifute’s statement at the time read: “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 per cent, 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 regularised his position and was in compliance with all his tax obligations.”