Brazilian national team coach Carlo Ancelotti has been sentenced to one year in prison and fined 386,000 euros ($452,000) by a Madrid court for tax evasion on image rights during his time as Real Madrid coach in 2014. The court announced the news on July 9 (local time).
Coach Ancelotti was sentenced to 1 year in prison for tax evasion in Spain (Photo: Getty).
However, Ancelotti is unlikely to face jail time. Under Spanish law, sentences of less than two years for non-violent crimes do not usually require defendants with no previous convictions to serve time in prison. Spanish prosecutors had previously sought a sentence of up to four years and nine months for two counts of tax fraud.
Ancelotti, who coached Real Madrid from 2013 to 2015 and a second stint from 2021 to 2025, was cleared of a similar case in 2015. The court could not prove he had stayed in Spain long enough to be liable for tax. He moved to London after being sacked by Real Madrid in May 2015.
Ancelotti is currently based in Brazil, having agreed to coach the Selecao after leaving Real Madrid in May. A member of Ancelotti's team, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said his lawyers welcomed the court's decision. The Brazilian Football Confederation has yet to comment publicly on the ruling.
Spanish prosecutors accused Ancelotti of evading €1 million in taxes in 2014 and 2015. In March 2024, they accused Ancelotti of using shell companies to hide his true income. Specifically, prosecutors said Ancelotti used a company “without any real economic activity” in the Virgin Islands as part of the alleged scheme.
Ancelotti is working in Brazil after leaving Spain (Photo: Getty).
Ancelotti is the latest manager to be investigated by Spanish tax authorities, but not the first involving figures in the world of football. Several similar cases, including those involving top players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Costa, have been settled out of court with large fines.
In 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the acquittal of former Bayer Leverkusen and current Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso after he refused to settle and maintained his innocence.
Ancelotti, who turned 66 last month, is one of the most successful managers in football history. He is the only manager to have won the Champions League five times (three times with Madrid and twice with AC Milan), and the only manager to have won domestic league titles in England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/hlv-ancelotti-bi-ket-an-mot-nam-tu-vi-toi-tron-thue-20250710073820775.htm
Comment (0)