A Barcelona legend is accused of tax evasion

Andrés Iniesta, former midfielder of Barcelona and Vissel Kobe, is accused of having outstanding debts to Japanese tax authorities totaling almost 3.5 million euros due to undeclared income.

The footballer himself denies the accusations and recently commented that in 2021 and 2022, local tax authorities examined his tax residency status. The results revealed that he was considered a tax resident of Japan for part of 2018. However, the debt identified as a result of this examination has already been settled.

Iniesta noted that the income for this period was subjected to clear double taxation, hence he requested to initiate a "friendly procedure" in accordance with the agreement on the avoidance of double taxation between Spain and Japan.

Currently, this process is ongoing, and Iniesta hopes for a swift resolution of the situation in accordance with the agreement reached between the two countries, in order to reclaim any excessively paid taxes.