Cristiano Ronaldo accused of tax fraud

Reuters-Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in court in Madrid on Tuesday (January 22) to face accusations of tax fraud, where he is expected to plead guilty after striking a deal last year with authorities. Ronaldo said nothing as he walked past journalists into court dressed in black jacket and trousers, black turtleneck, white trainers and sunglasses, only gesturing with his hand. The 33-year-old Juventus forward agreed to settle the case by paying an 18.8 million euro ($21.3 million) fine and accepting a suspended jail sentence. Under Spanish law, a first offender can serve anything less than a two-year sentence under probation, so according to the deal, Ronaldo will not be required to serve his time in jail. The court appearance is expected to be short, with officials saying the hearing will only require the player to confirm that he accepts the deal. Before Ronaldo arrived at court his former teammate Xabi Alonso also appeared to respond to charges in a separate tax fraud case, in which prosecutors are seeking a five-year jail term and a four million euro fine. Alonso, who was part of Spain's World Cup-winning national team before retiring from the game in 2017, is accused of defrauding the Spanish state of two million euros between 2010 and 2012. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.