Mexican footballer’s Swiss accounts under scrutiny

Dos Santos Ramirez is the sixth highest paid footballer in American Major League Soccer Keystone

Swiss authorities have received requests for information concerning alleged Swiss bank accounts of Giovani Dos Santos Ramirez, a member of the Mexican national football team, as well as Portuguese golfer Ricardo Melo Gouveia. 

The Swiss Federal Tax Administration issued a noticeExternal link in the Federal Gazette on Tuesday naming 28-year-old Ramirez in connection with an “administrative assistance” request. The request is most likely to have come from the Mexican tax authorities. 

Ramirez recently reached a landmark 100 appearances on the national team and has scored 18 goals. He has previously played for Tottenham Hotspur, Ipswich Town, Galatasaray, Racing Santander, Mallorca and Villareal, and is currently signed with American team LA Galaxy. According to figuresExternal link published by the US Major League Soccer Player’s Union, Ramirez is the sixth highest paid player in the league with an annual compensation of $5.5 million. 

Besides Ramirez, another sportsperson namedExternal link in the Federal Gazette is Portuguese golfer Ricardo Melo Gouveia. He was ranked 135 in the official world golf rankings at the end of 2016. In 2015, he clinched the European Challenge Tour with a victory in Oman that netted him over €250,000 (CHF285,000). Gouveia also represented Portugal at the Rio Olympics in 2016. 

Both Ramirez and Gouveia have ten days to name a Swiss representative to receive the notifications. They can appeal against the final decision of the Swiss Federal Tax Administration regarding whether to share information on financial transactions.