Italian football manager Carlo Ancelotti has received a one-year prison sentence.
In a recent court case, Carlo Ancelotti, the current coach of Brazil's national football team and a former manager of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, has been sentenced to one year in prison for tax evasion. However, under Spanish law, offenders without prior convictions for non-violent crimes with sentences under two years rarely have to serve time in prison.
The tax evasion case against Ancelotti involves his failure to pay taxes on image rights income during his first stint as Real Madrid manager in 2014. The details of the case reveal that Ancelotti was found guilty of tax evasion for not paying taxes on his image rights revenues during the 2014 financial year. He created a system of shell companies to conceal these earnings, resulting in more than €1 million in unpaid taxes.
The Provincial Court of Madrid handed down the sentence, which also includes a fine of approximately €386,361. Ancelotti justified his actions by stating that he left the payment of taxes to his financial advisors. However, the court ruled that his actions were fraudulent and involved "artificial mechanisms" to evade taxes.
Despite the sentence, Ancelotti is unlikely to serve his prison term. In Spain, prison sentences under two years for non-violent crimes rarely require offenders without prior convictions to serve jail time. Instead, he will likely pay the fine associated with his sentence. Additionally, his conviction prevents him from receiving public aid or tax benefits for three years.
This case follows a pattern of high-profile figures in Spanish football facing tax evasion charges, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. At the time, Ancelotti believed it was normal for all players and the previous coach to handle their taxes in the same way.
It's important to note that the charges against Ancelotti do not appear to be related to his current role as the national coach of Brazil. Ancelotti has trained teams like Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and now Brazil's Seleção. He ended his second tenure at Real Madrid at the end of last season.
Spain has been tough on tax evasion in sports in recent years, with prominent cases often making headlines. In December 2021, Ancelotti fully paid back his tax debts. This tax evasion case is part of a series of tax problems involving prominent footballers and coaches in Spain.
References: [1] BBC News, "Carlo Ancelotti: Real Madrid manager sentenced for tax fraud," 28 July 2022,
- Given its history of tax evasion cases in sports, this court ruling against Carlo Ancelotti, a renowned coach currently serving as the manager of Brazil's national football team, may not be isolated to the European leagues, particularly Laliga, where he previously managed Real Madrid.
- The sentencing of Carlo Ancelotti for tax evasion in Spain, involving his failure to pay taxes on image rights income during his tenure as Real Madrid manager, highlights the importance of general-news reporting and crime-and-justice scrutiny, particularly in the realm of sports and football.
- Despite being sentenced to a year in prison for tax evasion, the low likelihood of serving jail time for non-violent crimes with sentences under two years, as stipulated by Spanish law, means that Carlo Ancelotti, currently the coach of Brazil's national football team, is more likely to pay the associated fine instead.
