Brazil soccer coach probed in Portugal for tax fraud, report says

5/13/2014
REUTERS

RIO DE JANEIRO  -- Luiz Felipe Scolari, Brazil's national soccer coach, is under investigation in Portugal for taxes allegedly unpaid while he coached the Iberian country's squad, according to newspaper Folha de S. Paulo.

The probe, the report said, was disclosed in a request made to U.S. authorities by the Portuguese government because of 7 million euros of income allegedly unreported by Scolari. The income was allegedly deposited in offshore accounts.

Scolari, in a statement, denied the allegations and said he paid all the required taxes while he worked in Portugal, between 2003 and 2008.

“I declared all my income correctly,” he said in the statement. Scolari urged the relevant officials “to investigate all the facts.”

Officials at Portugal's finance ministry could not be reached for comment.

The Brazilian newspaper based its reporting on an article published today by OffshoreAlert.com, a Miami-based web site specialized in news about offshore tax havens.

Scolari, who won the World Cup as coach for Brazil in 2002, hopes to repeat the feat this year with his home country as the host. The upcoming tournament, which kicks off June 12, will play out in 12 Brazilian cities.