Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari the subject of a criminal investigation in Portugal

Scolari will coach the Brazil national team at the World Cup

Luiz Felipe Scolari is being investigated in Portugal (Getty Images)

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is the subject of a criminal investigation in Portugal, authorities said Wednesday.

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 coach, could not immediately be reached for comment.

If the Portuguese authorities decide to file charges based on what they find, Scolari would have to answer in a Portuguese court.

Tax evasion concerning large amounts of money carries a prison sentence in Portugal.

Scolari, who is Brazilian, led his country's national team to the World Cup title in 2002. He then coached Portugal's national team from 2003-08, and will again coach the Brazilian team at this year's World Cup.

AP