The Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) has been ordered by the country’s Supreme Court to pay B16.48m (€1.85m/$2.38m) in tax from the revenue it secured from the sale of television rights to qualifying games for the 2006 Fifa World Cup, according to Reuters.
The president of Bolivia’s National Tax Service (SIN), Roberto Ugarte, said the ruling is final and the amount includes penalties and fines for overdue taxes. The FBF said it secured $3.2 million from the sale of its rights to the World Cup qualifiers.
The SIN ruled in 2008 that the FBF had "not declared for income from the sale of television rights and advertising of the Bolivian national team matches in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.”
FBF president, Carlos Chávez, has accused the SIN of pressuring the Supreme Court to rule against the federation. He said the sentence is “abusive” and violates the rights of a sporting body. Chávez has appealed to Bolivian President Evo Morales to intervene in the matter.