Mourinho accepts 1-year jail sentence for fraud

Former Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho accepted a one-year prison sentence that he won't have to serve after pleading guilty to tax fraud on Tuesday, according to Agence France-Presse.

Under Spanish law, sentences of two years or less can be suspended for first-time offenders.

Authorities agreed to exchange the jail term for a fine of close to €2 million.

Mourinho was accused of defrauding tax authorities of €3.3 million while coaching Madrid in 2011 and 2012.

Prosecutors argued that the 56-year-old failed to declare revenue from his image rights, according to the BBC.

The plea comes two weeks after former Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo plead guilty to tax fraud. The 34-year-old was ordered to pay nearly €19 million to tax authorities after a similar dispute over image rights.

Several players for Barcelona and Real Madrid have been accused of tax fraud in recent years. Lionel Messi saw a 21-month suspended prison sentence reduced to a €252,000 fine in July 2017.