Watford FC’s owner has found himself in hot water after the Spanish Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office recommended a 12-year prison sentence following claims of tax evasion.
The Spanish newspaper El Pais shared the report on Tuesday, January 16, detailing that Hornets owner Gino Pozzo has been under investigation for suspected tax fraud whilst he was the owner of Granada CF between 2009 and 2016.
Pozzo took over the ownership of Watford FC with his father in 2012 and is now the sole owner of the Hertfordshire side.
The Italian managing director and legal owner of the Watford club has strongly denied claims that he had implemented a “long-term criminal plan” while in charge of Granada CF to evade paying more than €9million in tax on transfers.
According to the prosecutors, Pozzo and former Granada CP president Enrique Pina allegedly used several companies in Italy, Luxembourg and the United Arab Emirates to move club profits from footballer transfers without paying taxes in Spain.
The El Pais article goes into explicit details about the alleged breaching of tax laws as well as naming the former Hornets chairman Raffaele Riva, who stepped down in 2016. The Prosecutor’s Office has requested that Pozzo be given a 12-year prison sentence and is also seeking a series of substantial fines from those involved.
Photo credit: Italian Football TV on X
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