Coach Ancelotti sentenced to 1 year in prison for tax evasion

(Dan Tri) - Coach Carlo Ancelotti was sentenced to 1 year in prison and fined 386,000 euros by the Madrid court (Spain) for tax evasion.

Brazil's national team coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has been sentenced to one year in prison and fined 386,000 euros (US$452,000) by a Madrid court for tax evasion on income from image rights earned while he managed Real Madrid in 2014. This information was announced by the court on July 9th (local time).

Coach Ancelotti was sentenced to one year in prison for tax evasion in Spain (Photo: Getty).

However, Ancelotti is unlikely to be imprisoned. Under Spanish law, sentences of less than two years for non-violent offenses typically do not require a prior conviction to serve time in prison. Previously, Spanish prosecutors had requested a sentence of up to 4 years and 9 months for the two counts of tax fraud.

Ancelotti managed Real Madrid from 2013 to 2015 and again from 2021 to 2025. He was acquitted in a similar case in 2015, when the court could not prove he had stayed in Spain long enough to be liable for taxes. He moved to London after being sacked by Real Madrid in May 2015.

Currently, Ancelotti is working in Brazil, having taken over as coach of the Selecao after leaving Real Madrid last May. A member of Ancelotti's team, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on public discussion, said his lawyers welcomed the court's decision. The Brazilian Football Confederation has not yet commented publicly on the ruling.

Spanish prosecutors allege Ancelotti evaded €1 million in taxes between 2014 and 2015. In March 2024, they accused Ancelotti of using shell companies to conceal his true income. Specifically, prosecutors allege Ancelotti used a company "with no 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 coach to be investigated by the Spanish tax authorities, but it's not the first such case involving figures in the world of football. Many similar cases, including those involving top players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Costa, have been settled out of court with substantial 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 turned 66 last month and is one of the most successful coaches in football history. He is the only coach to have won the Champions League five times (three times with Madrid and twice with AC Milan), and the only coach 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-1-nam-tu-vi-toi-tron-thue-20250710073820775.htm