BUCHAREST, Romania -- A Bucharest court has handed prison sentences to eight Romanian football officials for tax evasion and money laundering in connection with the transfer of 12 players.
Among the eight, the appeals court sentenced former Dinamo Bucharest executive chairman Cristi Borcea to six years and four months, Rapid Bucharest chairman George Copos to three years and eight months, and former defender Gica Popescu to three years and one month.
They appealed after being convicted in November 2012 and will be jailed Tuesday.
The case involves players transferred from Dinamo, Rapid, Otelul Galati and Gloria Bistrita to foreign clubs from 1999-2005.
Prosecutors said the state lost 1.7 million euros ($2.34 million) in taxes and the clubs lost 10 million euros ($13.8 million) because the officials registered false sums for the transfers.
