On Wednesday, a HMRC official that it has “arrested several men working within the professional football industry for a suspected income tax and national insurance fraud”.
“180 HMRC officers have been deployed across the UK and France today. Investigators have searched a number of premises in the north-east and south-east of England and arrested the men and also seized business records, financial records, computers and mobile phones.”
Football target
Football clubs and their players have repeatedly come under scrutiny in recent years following several high-profile cases.
In early April, HMRC confirmed that it will visit all English Premier League, Championship and Scottish Premier League clubs in the next three years to review payments made to players.
Last year, the UK tax office said it is currently investigating 43 football players and 12 clubs over their use of offshore companies to avoid paying tax on money earned through image rights in the UK, with a senior official revealing HMRC has clawed back £158m ($199m, €186m) in the last two years.
