Ronaldo thinking only of Confederations Cup, says Silva

Kazan (Russia) (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo, battling accusations of tax evasion and speculation over his club future, is concentrating only on the Confederations Cup, his Portugal teammate Andre Silva said Friday.

“He takes this tournament very seriously and is focussed. He is motivated, just like me,” said the 21-year-old Silva at a news conference in Kazan ahead of Portugal’s opening Confederations Cup match against Mexico on Sunday.

“He is concentrating on playing for the national team and he wants to give the motivation to have a good tournament.”

Ronaldo insisted Wednesday he had a “clear conscience” after Spanish prosecutors accused the Real Madrid star of evading 14.7 million euros in tax through offshore companies.

“Conscience clear, always,” Ronaldo told reporters at Lisbon airport as he and his Portuguese teammates prepared to fly out to Russia.

Real Madrid also gave their backing to Ronaldo, releasing a statement saying the club had “full confidence in our player Cristiano Ronaldo, who we understand has acted in accordance with the legality regarding compliance with his tax obligations”.