Some top footballers listed as minimum wage earners: Report

ISTANBUL

Some high-earning football players in Türkiye are officially registered as receiving the minimum wage through a dual agreement practice, daily Hürriyet has reported amid tax audits targeting athletes.

Certain clubs, including those in the top-tier league, have been engaging in dual-contract arrangements with their players, according to a report by the daily published on Oct. 17.

In the first contract, the player agrees to a salary of 17,002 Turkish Liras, aligning with the official minimum wage.

This contract is submitted to the Turkish Football Federation and taxes are withheld based on this amount. In Türkiye, clubs are responsible for withholding taxes on payments to athletes.

A second, "private agreement" between the club and the player specifies the actual and higher salary to be paid, the daily said, adding that the practice is applied to pay relatively lower taxes.

Highlighting the disparity, the report states: "In our league, which is valued at 1.2 billion euros and is among Europe's top six leagues, there are players playing for the minimum wage. There are even Süper Lig clubs with squads valued at 700-800,000 liras."

The report came nearly a week after the Finance and Treasury Ministry has initiated an investigation into athletes with substantial earnings who have failed to declare their income, examining the earnings of 1,900 individuals across various sports disciplines.

Among the findings were 400 athletes, including high-profile names with multimillion-dollar contracts, who concealed approximately 5 billion liras ($1.46 million) in earnings over the past three years.

Additionally, 100 athletes, despite filing tax returns, failed to report their full earnings.