Cristiano Ronaldo news: Juventus star to accept 23-month jail term next week

What's the story?

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo is set to be given a 23-month-long suspended jail term in a Spanish court on Tuesday next week.

In case you didn't know...

Back in 2017, Spanish prosecutors charged the then Real Madrid forward for tax fraud. It was alleged that parts of the 33-year-old's income between 2011 and 2014 were found hidden in a shell company located in the British Virgin Islands.

The prosecutors revealed the amounts to be €1.4 million in 2011, €1.7 million in 2012, €3.2 million in 2013 and €8.5 million in 2014.

While Ronaldo has already paid what he owed in unpaid tax, he is still required to appear before a court of law for his sentence.

The heart of the matter

According to a BBC report, Ronaldo is expected to plead guilty to the tax fraud charges after he agreed to a £16.4m fine and is set to accept a suspended jail term on Tuesday.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was initially hoped to appear before the court via a video conference from Italy but The Daily Mail reports that his request to do so was rejected, so he is now obligated to show up to court in person.

Prosecutors want the former Manchester United star to receive a six-month prison sentence for three of the four counts of tax fraud as well as five months for the fourth.

Of course, the Juventus star will not be required to serve the prison sentence as under Spanish law, prison sentences of two years or less for first-time non-violent offenders are normally suspended, with the condition that the accused does not commit any further crimes in Spain during that period.

What's next?

Ronaldo's trial has been scheduled to start at 10am on Tuesday at Madrid's Audiencia Provincial court. The Juventus ace will reportedly fly to Spain after Juventus's Serie A game against Chievo Verona.