Mascherano escapes prison for tax fraud

Barcelona and Argentina's Javier Mascherano accepted a one-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of 816,000 euros before a judge for committing tax fraud of 1.5 million euros.
The plea agreed between the former Liverpool midfielder's lawyers and the public prosecutor in December, was formally processed in a hearing that lasted barely 10 minutes.
In Spain sentences less than two years are normally suspended unless the guilty party has previous convictions.
The prosecution alleged Mascherano failed to declare over 1.5 million euros in earnings between 2011 and 2013 by ceding his image rights to companies he owns in Portugal and the United States.

Mascherano admitted to the two counts of tax fraud against him in October and deposited nearly 1.75 million euros with the tax authorities in September to repay the amount owed plus interest.
"I'm very relieved to know I am back in line," Mascherano said in a statement published on his official Twitter account.

"I am a professional sportsman, I don't have great knowledge of tax and legal matters. Therefore, I have to rely on people that manage these technical issues.
"During my whole career I have been an honest and responsable, respectful to my teammates and the clubs I have represented and the countries I have lived in."

Mascherano's club and international teammate Lionel Messi faces similar sanctions as he is due to stand trail for tax fraud on May 31.
The recently crowned five-time World Player of the Year and his father have been charged with allegedly failing to declare 4.16 million euros in taxes related to his image rights between 2007 and 2009.
Having arrived from Liverpool in 2010, he found Sergio Busquets well entrenched in his own position of holding midfielder.
It was a simple choice: adapt or fail. So when a spate of injuries left Barcelona without a central defender, he seized his chance.

Mascherano compensates for a height disadvantage with intelligent play, such as when he anchored the side that beat Manchester United 3-1 in the 2011 Champions League final.
"I never thought I would be here this long," he said. "I know what I can do, but I also know the demands that Barca places on you. In any other team I would have liked to play in midfield, but changing positions was worth it to keep playing here."
Mascherano plays in midfield for Argentina and is a key player for the side that reached the final of the 2014 World Cup, losing to Germany. His latest positional change for Barcelona goes against a customary trend.

The usual evolution of aging defenders is changing from a wide position to slot inside, compensating for dwindling speed. Barca's coach saw the potential for Mascherano to do this when Roberto injured a leg muscle earlier this month.
He looked past Roberto's natural replacement, Aleix Vidal, and asked Mascherano to take on the role. Luis Enrique liked the result, so even with Roberto cleared to play against City, he left Mascherano in his place.
Mascherano's industry more than makes up for the fact he has not scored in 290 appearances - a Barcelona club record for an outfield player.
"I am not obsessed over it," he said. "A goal wouldn't change my life."

Mascherano's contributions, which have helped win 17 titles, are fully appreciated and he signed a new contract on Monday until 2019.
"My time here at Barcelona has been magical," he said. "Year after year the team has kept its hunger.