Argentinean midfielder Javier Mascherano will have to pay a fine of 816,000 euros after pledging guilty of tax evasion and fraud. One of Barcelona's captains was accused by the Spanish tax authorities back in October, after failing to report his earnings from a marketing campaing in 2011 and his earnings in 2012 concerning the rights to exploit his public image.
Spanish tax authorities demanded 1.5 Million euros from Mascherano, but given the player's level of cooperation, the player will walk away paying a fine for the matter.
Despite this deal, Mascherano will have to stand in front of a judge in the following weeks, where he will hear his sentence carried out. In fact, the penalty for pledging guilty of these charges included one year in prison, but given that the former Liverpool player has no criminal record of any kind, that penalty will be wiped out of his file.
The 31-year old midfielder has been key to Barcelona's recent success, playing as a center back or as a holding midfielder. He was named as one of Los Cules' co-captains after Xavi Hernández left the squad in the summer. As of now, the player hasn't made a public statement about the matter, and he is not expected to do so until the sentence is carried out.
