New blow for Xabi Alonso: he's reported over his villa after 'getting away' from the Tax Agency

Xabi Alonso's judicial past seemed to be behind him after he was acquitted of tax fraud by the Supreme Court in 2023, following years of battle with the tax authorities. However, new legal troubles are once again affecting the former footballer and current Real Madrid coach.

This time, the epicenter is not a tax office, but a luxury villa built in Igeldo (Donostia). This is a house whose urban planning legality has been challenged and is now the subject of a new criminal complaint filed with the Gipuzkoa Prosecutor's Office.

In this chaos, the environmental associations Haritzalde Naturzaleen Elkartea and Ekologistak Martxan Gipuzkoa are his "enemies". Both have filed a formal complaint against the Donostia-San Sebastián City Council and the developer Tavaro XXI SL, owned by Xabi Alonso's family.

The document accuses them of possible crimes of urban planning misconduct, misconduct by omission, and misappropriation of public property.

The core of the conflict revolves around the access road to the villa, located in the coastal area of Txalin. The plot, which never had its own access to the public road, obtained a special permit in 2018. All this was to use a municipal service road that connects to the area's water reservoir. However, this road is not for public use, but is under the exclusive control of the City Council.

The authorization for use was granted temporarily and exceptionally for a maximum of four years. This is a non-extendable condition according to Law 33/2003 on Public Administration Assets. This concession expired on March 24, 2025 (24 de marzo de 2025). Neither Tavaro XXI nor the City Council have ceased using the road or taken measures to regain public control of it.

Previous rulings and a project riddled with irregularities

The Txalin villa is not new to the courts. The building permit was annulled in January 2024 by the Administrative Court No. 3 of Donostia. The ruling found that the house did not comply with the rural typology required for non-developable land, according to the General Urban Planning Plan.

Other previously reported illegalities are added to this, such as the construction of a 5,382 sq. ft. (500 m²) basement, when the regulations only allowed 60% of the above-ground buildable area. There was also the granting of a building permit on a plot that did not have regular access to public roads.

"The permit was granted without having been subject to public display, after the deadline, and with clear violations of the Basque Country Land and Urban Planning Law," the complaint emphasizes.

Instead of correcting these illegalities, environmentalists claim, the City Council has maneuvered to "legalize after the fact" decisions that are clearly contrary to the law. Back in 2021, key articles of the General Urban Planning Plan were amended—such as those regulating the area of basements and building roofs—to cover up the irregularities committed.

Now, the threat is a third regulatory amendment: the reclassification of the municipal service road as a public road, with the sole purpose of providing legal cover for the villa's access.

Possible criminal liabilities

The complaint directly accuses the Councilor for Urban Maintenance, Carlos García Hernández, of failing to recover the exclusive use of the road once the authorization expired. The complaint also requests that a statement be taken from the sole administrator of Tavaro XXI SL, Nagore Aramburu, for continuing to use the access despite lacking a valid permit.

In criminal terms, three offenses are alleged. Misconduct by omission (Art. 404 of the Penal Code), on the part of the City Council for failing to act after the authorization expired.

Another offense against land use planning (Art. 320 of the Penal Code), for having granted permits in violation of current urban planning regulations.

Finally, misappropriation of public property (Art. 245.2 of the Penal Code), by Tavaro XXI SL for continuing to use municipal property without legal right.

The complaint warns of a pattern of systematic action by the City Council to cover up the villa's illegalities. It describes as a "legal aberration" the possible reclassification of the road to provide retroactive cover for a project already challenged in court.

A case with a well-known name

Although Xabi Alonso's name doesn't appear directly in the complaint, the former footballer has been identified as the ultimate developer of the house through Tavaro XXI SL. This is a company linked to his family. This is not the first time the Basque coach's name has been linked to this villa: back in 2022, several environmental groups identified him as the indirect beneficiary of a project with multiple legal shadows.

For Alonso, this new legal storm adds to his recent media rise after taking over the Real Madrid bench. However, the real estate front threatens to tarnish a golden professional period.

Municipal response and next legal battle

For now, the Donostia City Council has remained silent regarding the complaint. When asked last February by the Podemos municipal group, the local government denied that they were analyzing any initiative related to the expiration of the road authorization, which reinforces the accusation of deliberate omission.

The case has been brought to the attention of the Prosecutor's Office, which must determine whether there is sufficient evidence to open criminal proceedings. If so, the case could gain even more public and legal notoriety, not only because of its urban planning background, but also due to the involvement of an internationally relevant figure like Xabi Alonso.

In the words of the complainants: "It's time to restore legal order. Anything else would be a mockery of the rule of law." Meanwhile, the Txalin villa remains standing, with private access over public land and the judicial echo growing ever louder in the hills of Igeldo.