SOFIA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Bulgarian National Revenue Agency was investigating 261 football players and their relatives for hidden income, authorities said Tuesday.

    All of the players were from the top tier of Bulgaria's professional football league, which consists of 16 teams.

    Twenty-one territorial NRA directorates were involved in investigating the players for possible tax fraud, most of them from Sofia - 97 and Blagoevgrad - 36.

    Inspectors from the NRA would compare the players' real estate property, cars and bank accounts with their declared incomes, to verify whether they matched.

    If they found players involved in alleged tax evasion, prosecutors would be notified, the NRA said.

    The NRA discovered in September that the salaries written in contracts of some football players were about 160 U.S. dollars per month, with hidden annexes added to contracts.