Portugal luiz Felipe Scolari is the subject of a criminal investigation in Portugal, authorities said Wednesday, bringing an unwelcome distraction for the Brazil coach as his country prepares to host the World Cup.
Officials wouldn’t say what the investigation is about. In Portugal, ongoing investigations fall under the country’s judicial secrecy law. The Portuguese attorney general’s office said in an email to The Associated Press that the Department for Criminal Investigation and Prosecution has opened an inquiry into Scolari, but it provided no further details.
Unconfirmed reports in Brazil and the Netherlands say Scolari is suspected of failing to declare millions of dollars in income, but he has denied any wrongdoing.
“I have correctly filed all my tax returns. In all the countries where I’ve worked, I’ve always declared my income,” Scolari said in a statement sent to the AP in Sao Paulo late Tuesday. “If anything is wrong, it’s not my fault. I hope justice gets to the bottom of the facts.”
Officials at the Portuguese Football Federation, which employed Scolari as national team coach from 2003-08, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
FIFA had no comment on the investigation. FIFA’s code of ethics can be applied to conduct “that damages the integrity and reputation of football and in particular to illegal, immoral and unethical behavior.” Sanctions for breaching the code range from a warning to a ban from any football-related activity.