Yacht and bowled: Sportsmen who ran into tax trouble

Tax officials recently froze a yacht and a jet belonging to footballer Neymar. Historically, tax evasion has been a favourite sport of athletes and their accountants.

Lionel Messi

Otherwise non-controversial, Messi has not avoided the tax taint. He and his father, Jorge Horacio, are accused of defrauding Spain’s tax system of nearly $4.5 million from 2007-9.



Lionel Messi (Image: AP)


But many see the trial as partly the vindictiveness of Real Madrid, Barcelona’s arch-rival. One of the prosecution members is Marta Silva de Lapuerta, a former Real Madrid board member. And in Spain, the Barca-Real divide permeates all walks of life. The case goes on trial in May.

Boris Becker

When a floppy haired acrobatic boy won Wimbledon at 17, he became the darling of Germany. Nearly two decades later, he stood before a judge in a Munich court, gaunt and dishevelled, facing a real possibility of a jail term. Becker’s crime was unpaid taxes worth almost $1.7 million. The court convicted and fined him, but the motherly judge, Huberta Knoringer, spared him prison time.



Boris Becker (Image: AFP)


Manny Pacquiao

Pacquiao is more than just a boxer in the Philippines. He is a messiah. So when he was accused of dodging nearly $75 million in taxes for 2008 and 2009, it did not sit well with Pacman and his fans. Pacquiao’s explanation was that for those two years he paid taxes in the United States. He has earned a reprieve in the case, but the matter is not closed.

Diego Maradona

A tax evasion case from his glory days still chases the football genius. Maradona allegedly evaded taxes in Italy where he played club football from 1984-91. He owes authorities almost $50 million, according to reports. At his best, Maradona could weave through several defenders. But the legal maze has proved too much.


Diego Maradona (Image: AFP)

Mike Tyson

Most lists featuring Maradona also feature Tyson. Both were champions of their sport. Both were incorrigible trouble-makers. Tyson made nearly $300 million from his career, but his bank account was down to $7,000 at one point in the last decade. Among his bills is a seven-figure tax obligation. In sum, it’s a long painful hangover for Iron Mike.



Mike Tyson (Image: AFP)