Though the Italian coach denied all allegations from the beginning, Carlo Ancelotti could not avoid punishment in the end.
The Real Madrid boss has been handed a one-year prison sentence for tax fraud related to an old case in Spain. The charges stem from his first stint as Real Madrid manager, specifically from 2014 when he was accused of evading taxes on over €1 million in image rights income between 2014 and 2015.
Spanish prosecutors claimed that Ancelotti had only declared the salary he received from the club, deliberately omitting the income from his image rights in his tax returns.
In March of last year, Spanish prosecutors sought a sentence of four years and nine months in prison along with a fine of €3.2 million.
“He only reported the salary paid by the club and excluded the income derived from his image rights,” the prosecution had stated.
Despite his consistent denial of wrongdoing throughout the case, the 66-year-old coach—who left Real Madrid in May to take over as Brazil’s national team manager—has now been sentenced.
However, under Spanish law, non-violent offenders receiving sentences under two years are typically not required to serve jail time. So, Ancelotti is unlikely to be incarcerated.
Ancelotti enjoyed considerable success during his two spells at Real Madrid.
He first took charge in the summer of 2013 and was sacked in May 2015. The former Chelsea and AC Milan manager returned to the club in June 2021. Across both stints, he led Real Madrid to numerous trophies, including three Champions League titles and two La Liga crowns.
Over the past decade, Spain’s tax authorities have investigated several top footballers and coaches for alleged tax fraud. Some, like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Diego Costa, opted to settle the cases out of court by paying hefty fines. Others, like current Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, chose to fight the accusations in court and were eventually acquitted.
