Mesut Ozil paid reduced fine to Spanish authorities for unpaid taxes because of row with his father
Arsenal midfielder forked out £1.55m in unpaid taxes from his time at Real Madrid to Spain's treasury
MESUT OZIL avoided an even bigger tax bill after Spanish authorities agreed a compensation payment to his father should not incur an extra penalty.
Football Leaks claims to have documents showing that Ozil paid £1.55million in back tax in Spain earlier this year, but is disputing a fine of £614,000.
Ozil, 28, might have ended up with a larger bill but for a 2013 row with father Mustafa, who was removed as a director of the player’s image rights firm.
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In 2014, Football Leaks (FL) say Ozil Marketing GmbH paid his dad a settlement of £6.4m, which Spanish investigators agreed was a tax-deductible expense.
But the Spaniards did pursue Ozil for tax on, among other things, the £1.25m Arsenal paid his agent, Erkut Sogut, when they signed him from Real Madrid in 2013.
FL say Arsenal agreed a five-year deal for Ozil, guaranteeing him £8.55m a year, a £1m signing-on fee per year, £1.51m if the Gunners reach the Champions League group stage and £1.24m in image rights — £12.3m a year or £237,000 a week.