Dutch football assoc. cracking down on tax fraud in amateur clubs

Dutch football association KNVB wants to kick amateur clubs caught committing tax fraud out of the league, Jan Dirk van der Zee, director of amateur football at the KNVB, said in a broadcast of Zembla on Wednesday, NU.nl reports. Currently amateur clubs caught committing tax fraud can stay in the competition by settling with the Tax authorities and paying the fines. Van der Zee wants to put an end to this. "If they knowingly messed wit things, they should be put out or moved to a lower league", he said. Van der Zee was responding to a study into the financial situation of the football clubs which showed that since 2009 almost 8 million euros in tax was never paid by seven bankrupt amateur clubs. 2 million of that can not be recovered. According to bankruptcy administrator Janina Madura, the chances are small that the Tax authorities will see any of that money. Earlier this year two people from an amateur football club was arrested on suspicion of tax fraud. According to the Public Prosecutor, they paid a number of football players "under the table" - in cash, thereby lowering their payroll tracks and the benefits they have to pay.