CELEBRITY TAX EVASION FIFA Implicated in German Tax Scandal
Earlier this year, we took a look at how Cristiano Ronaldo had been accused of squirreling away €14.7 million in unpaid taxes. But it’s important to note that in the highly lucrative world of international soccer, tax crimes aren’t limited to the players on the field. While this year’s World Cup may be over, a scandal tied to the 2006 World Cup is just coming to light. Earlier this year, three German organizers of the 2006 tournament were charged with tax evasion. Theo Zwanziger, Wolfgang Niersbach, and Horst R. Schmidt stand accused of falsifying the tax returns of the German Soccer Federation (DFB). All three men deny the charges, although this would not the first time the DFB has faced tax trouble as an organization. The federation had paid over €19 million in back taxes to the German government before this most recent scandal came to light. Worse still, the International Federation of Association Soccer (FIFA) may have had a hand in the crime. The allegations concern
a suspiciously complex web of payments by DFB, the center of which was a €6.7 million payment to FIFA. This large transfer of funds was labeled as money for the World Cup opening gala and was therefore tax exempt. However, German journalists who followed the money discovered that the payment passed through FIFA and into a Swiss bank account. The account holder? None other than the CEO of Adidas himself, Robert Louis-Dreyfus, who passed away in 2009. Swiss authorities and FIFA’s ethics committee have gotten involved, making it a full-blown international investigation with possible links to a larger criminal inquiry about possible bribes paid to FIFA by countries lobbying to host the World Cup. The three DFB organizers, for their part, have plead “not guilty” to all charges. However, the fact that all three men were made FIFA executive members between the years of 2007–2016 is suspicious.
We’ll be keeping an eye on this story as it develops. Despite occurring over a decade ago, the German government seems eager to see justice done. It just goes to show that even multimillion-dollar sports organizations can’t get away with evading the tax man forever.
INSIDE-OUT GRILLED HAM AND CHEESE
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Want to take your grilled cheese game to the next level? This recipe calls for cheese both inside and outside the sandwich, adding a crispy crunch to the grilled cheese experi- ence. It’s a quick, delicious weekday dinner option the whole family will love.
Ingredients
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8 slices of bread (Pullman works best)
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8 ounces ham, thinly sliced 1/2 pound Swiss cheese, sliced 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
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4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (preferably Parmigiano- Reggiano)
1/4 cup apricot preserves
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Directions
1. Butter each slice of bread on the outsides and sprinkle with Parmesan. 2. Layer ham and cheese evenly on top of 4 slices of bread. 3. Spread apricot preserves and mustard across the other 4 slices. Press sandwiches together. 4. In a cast-iron skillet or large sauté pan over medium heat, grill sandwiches until golden, about 3 minutes per side. 5. Cut in half and serve.
Inspired by Food & Wine magazine
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