6th March, 2024
Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti faces four years jail term after being accused of avoiding 1 million euros ($1.1 million) in taxes on image rights revenues while he was at Real Madrid in 2014 and 2015.
A Spanish prosecutor is seeking a prison term of four years and nine months for the Madrid coach.
According to Reuters, the prosecutor said in a statement on Wednesday that although the Italian was a resident in Spain for tax purposes at the time and filed his tax returns there, he had omitted the income earned through his image rights – 4.2 million euros in total.
According to the prosecutor, Ancelotti allegedly committed two tax fraud crimes.
Reuters says Ancelotti did not immediately reply to a request for comment made through Real Madrid, as his lawyer declined to comment.
The prosecutor accused Ancelotti of pretending to transfer his image rights to entities lacking real activity outside Spain to avoid paying taxes.
Spanish authorities have pursued other celebrities over suspected tax evasion, including players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Diego Costa. All settled and paid large fines.
As well as working for Real Madrid and Everton, Ancelotti has had trophy-laden spells at other European clubs including AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris St Germain and Bayern Munich.
A former player who was capped 26 times for Italy and played in the 1990 World Cup, Ancelotti has won the Champions League four times as a coach, twice with AC Milan and twice with Real Madrid.