The world’s most profitable soccer team Real Madrid, along with other major European soccer teams, are facing a major crackdown as the European Commission investigates complaints that the teams accepted illegal aid. A spokesperson for the Commission named Real Madrid, but did not list other soccer teams and ensured that the authority was only at beginning stages of the case. Similar concerns were raised in 2009 when Real Madrid bought player Christiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for $121 million; in 2004 the team sold its training ground to municipal authorities, and while the Commission opened a probe into the deal to investigate whether the team received state aid from the transaction, no action was taken.
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