Portugal coach Fernando Santos will have to repay large sums collected from the Portuguese tax authorities in connection with his contract at the helm of Selecao.
Fernando Santos arrested by Portuguese justice? According to the media sabadu, The court ruled in favor of the IRS The case that opposes him with the coach of Portugal. The latter would have received his salary, paid by the Portuguese Federation (FPF), through a company he had set up himself, called Vimakusa.
Receiving his salary through his company would have allowed Fernando Santos to pay less taxes. The court also questions the role of the Portuguese Football Federation, which has already provided $4.5 million (4.64 million euros) to the tax authorities.
Santos benefits?
This decision by the authorities forces the Portuguese coach and his wife, Guilhermina Costa Santos, who is also a partner in the company, to return $4.5 million. In September 2014, FPF hired Femacosa, the company run by the current Portugal manager. Santos has been in charge of the Greek national team since 2010 but would have known Paulo Bento’s days were numbered after Portugal’s group-stage exit at the World Cup three months earlier.
Then, Fernando Santos had taken over from Bento after the defeat at the start of the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign against Albania (1-0), on September 11, 2014. Since his start, he has been paid by his company. The money he did not pay in taxes would have gone directly into Vimakusa’s coffers.
The Santos clan denies any guilt
When contacted by RMC Sport, the Portuguese coach’s entourage confirmed that there was no conviction of justice, that there was no desire for tax evasion and that Fernando Santos had not hidden anything from the Portuguese tax authorities. Advised by lawyers, the Portuguese federation was going to force the future coach to own his own company in order to reduce the difficulties as was the case with Paulo Bento, Santos’ predecessor, when the latter left.
His clan also claims that he already owned his company before his appointment, when he was in charge of Greece. Fernando Santos asked his lawyer to advise whether he could do so. They gave their consent. The Portuguese coach confirms that he will follow the recommendations of the court and proceed to pay the required amounts.
