By Ghazali Ibrahim
A Spanish court has sentenced Brazil national team coach and former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti to one year in prison and imposed a €386,000 ($375,000) fine for tax fraud relating to undeclared image-rights income during his time at Real Madrid in 2014.
The ruling, issued by a Madrid court on Thursday, concluded that Ancelotti failed to declare significant earnings from image rights, declaring only his salary from Real Madrid in his Spanish tax returns for 2014 and 2015.
Although prosecutors initially pushed for a four-year and nine-month prison sentence and a €3.2 million ($3.7 million) fine, the court handed down a lighter sentence.
However, as reported by ESPN, Ancelotti is unlikely to serve jail time, as Spanish law generally suspends prison terms under two years for first-time offenders convicted of non-violent crimes.
The verdict places Ancelotti among several high-profile football figures who have faced legal action from Spanish tax authorities in recent years.
Notably, former players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Costa settled their cases by paying substantial fines.
Conversely, Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso successfully fought his charges and was acquitted by Spain’s Supreme Court in 2023.
Ancelotti, who currently manages the Brazil national team and previously led Real Madrid to major victories including the UEFA Champions League, has yet to issue a public statement following the court’s decision.
