Spain crush Tahiti 10-0 and ‘it could’ve been worse’

In a one-sided match at the Confederations Cup, World Cup winner Spain crushed the Pacific islanders from Tahiti 10-0 yesterday (this morning, Singapore time) — a result that was not as bad as some had suggested beforehand. Tahiti coach Eddy Etaeta said he feared Spain might score 15 or 20. Still, the winning margin was the largest in a Confederations Cup match. The previous record margin was six, when Brazil beat Saudi Arabia 8-2 in 1999 and when Brazil beat Australia 6-0 in 1997. Fernando Torres, who missed a penalty late in the match, scored four goals. David Villa added three goals, David Silva two and Juan Mata one. Tahiti was the crowd favourite at the Maracana stadium, with Brazilians wildly cheering the underdogs and jeering Spain. When Spanish midfielder Mata tried to score with a bicycle kick with the score at 4-0, the effort was met with loud booing. The game had the tone of a practice game — or a friendly. Even before it began, the outcome was never in doubt. The spirit was set by Tahiti coach Eddy Etaeta, who put a flower lei, or necklace, around the neck of Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque. “They (Brazilians) are always on the side of the underdog, meaning Tahiti,” Del Bosque said. “I believe the fans respected the show and enjoyed the match.” Etaeta called playing Spain a “Christmas present”. “We lost but we won the hearts of the Brazilian public. So obrigado, obrigados a tudos,” he said after the game, saying “thank you, everyone” in Portuguese. Etaeta said it was frustrating that his team was now better known in Brazil than at home. Del Bosque defended Tahiti’s place in the tournament, despite some criticising the inclusion of the tiny island with only 180,000 residents. “They are the champions of Oceania,” he said. “That’s football. They did what they had to do and they deserved to be here.” Tahitian players also draped trinkets around the neck of the Spanish players just before the start, another gesture of friendship and respect for the Spanish side. Tahiti were 1-0 down after 15 minutes, hardly an illustration of the gulf between the world champions and a team comprising amateurs who hold down day jobs. But Spain led 4-0 by the break. The largest margin of victory in a FIFA match came in 2001, when Australia beat American Samoa 31-0 in Oceania qualifying for the World Cup. In the World Cup, the record is nine, set three times. Hungary beat South Korea 9-0 in 1954, Yugoslavia routed Zaire 9-0 in 1974 and Hungary defeated El Salvador 10-1 in 1982. The biggest rout in football happened in 2002 when Stade Olympique de l’Emyrne scored 149 own-goals in a match against AS Adema in Madagascar in protest of what it claimed was partial refereeing. AS Adema won 149-0. AP

More Tax Trouble For Messi

A Barcelona court has agreed to take up a tax evasion case against Lionel Messi, the world’s best soccer player, and his father, Jorge Horacio, for using shell corporations to hide €4.165 million($5.5 million) from Spanish tax authorities. Messi, who for the first time was said to have “consented,” is expected to testify on September 17, alongside his father. As we had previously reported, FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi, who netted $41.3 million in the year to June and is the world’s tenth-best-paid-athlete, and his father were accused by prosecutor Raquel Amado of hiding his true earnings from Spain’s tax authorities. On Thursday, a Barcelona judge accepted the case, setting a court date for the famous athlete and his father to testify. While the prosecution’s original statements, picked up by Spanish media, noted Jorge Horacio, the athlete’s father, was the architect of the scheme, Thursday’s charges appear to smear the four-time FIFA World Player directly. According to Spanish daily El Pais, Messi “ratified” and “consented” to his father’s allegedly fraudulent scheme once he turned 18. Messi’s lawyer, Angel Juarez, wasn’t immediately available for comment. In a statement released last week when news of the accusations surfaced, Juarez noted he hadn’t received any notices from the prosecution. Beyond hearing of the accusations in the media, and immediately rejecting them, Juarez noted his team had been personally responsible for the star’s tax filings. In a post on his Facebook FB -1.68% page, Messi himself followed suit, noting he had always respected his tax obligations and that his legal team would take care of the situation. According to El Pais, this type of tax fraud could result in one to six years in prison for the guilty parties, and a penalty of up to six times the amount evaded. As I’ve reported previously, while it appears unlikely Messi will end up serving prison time, the situation becomes all the more troubling given the difficult fiscal situation of Spain’s regional governments, with many of them bankrupt and having been bailed out by the central government. Barcelona, which is expected to qualify to the UEFA Champions League, is expected to play the first round of the premier club competition between September 17 and 18.