FIFA Said to Study Tax-Avoiding Soccer Trades by U.K. Group
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FIFA lawyers are working to shut down a tax-avoiding structure used in the transfer of dozens of Brazilian soccer players, including a recent Real Madrid signing, two people with direct knowledge of the situation said.
The trades, dating back to the 1990s, were together worth more than $60 million, according to Bloomberg News calculations. Investors buy the rights to players by nominally signing them to second-division Uruguayan clubs. They then loan them to Brazilian teams until they can move to wealthier clubs in Europe or Asia for a transfer fee. One of the players, Willian Jose da Silva, joined Real Madrid on loan this month.