246 professional footballers were under investigation by HMRC last seasonInvestigations by HMRC into the tax affairs of professional footballers, including any potential breach surrounding image rights, have increased almost three-fold in the past year, according to a study by a national accountancy group. Freedom of information requests by UHY Hacker Young Group revealed some 246 professional footballers were under investigation by HMRC during 2019/2020, up from 87 the previous season. The HMRC's overall additional tax collected from investigations into professional football, through up until year ending March 31 2020, was £73.1m - more than double the previous £35.3m figure. In some cases image rights companies can be based offshore, which reduces tax paid even further. "You may have to make a robust argument to HMRC to show how the value of the image rights has been arrived at."

Source: Sky sports August 09, 2020 22:52 UTC