Ancelotti in court over tax case: coach gets one-year sentence and large fine

A high-profile court case in Madrid: the city's appeals court found former Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti guilty of tax fraud on his 2014 income and sentenced him to one year in prison, reported elmundo.es. At the same time, he was acquitted of the same charge for 2015.

According to the court’s decision, the famous coach must not only pay off his debts to the Spanish tax office but also pay a fine of 386,000 euros. However, since the sentence is less than two years, the current head coach of the Brazil national team will not serve time in prison. It should be noted that both the prosecution and Ancelotti himself have the right to appeal the sentence to the Supreme Court.

During the trial, it was revealed that Ancelotti had used a standard fraud scheme often seen in football: he transferred his image rights to foreign companies registered in the British Virgin Islands. These companies, in fact, carried out no real business activity, had no employees, and never paid tax on the image rights. In 2014, Ancelotti failed to declare the income from this scheme and also submitted documents to receive back almost 40,000 euros in taxes, which he did receive.

In court, Ancelotti denied his guilt and said he had acted according to the instructions of Real Madrid management. He also claimed he knew nothing about the fake companies, but the court did not believe this, as Ancelotti had personally signed the documents transferring the image rights to the offshore companies and was found to be fully aware of his responsibility.

From the court’s decision: “The companies were specifically set up with the aim of evading taxes,” the verdict stated.

For the 2015 financial year, Ancelotti was acquitted: it could not be proven that he was a Spanish tax resident, as that year he finished working at Real Madrid and moved to London.

It is notable that the prosecutor initially requested a prison sentence of 4 years and 9 months, but the court gave a much lighter punishment. Ancelotti’s lawyers expressed satisfaction with the verdict.

Carlo Ancelotti worked at Real Madrid twice: from 2013–2015 and 2021–2025. With the team, he won the Champions League 3 times, the Club World Cup 2 times, the UEFA Super Cup 3 times, La Liga 2 times, the Spanish Cup 2 times, and the Spanish Super Cup 2 times.

Against this backdrop, it’s hard to forget that Ancelotti is one of the most titled coaches in football history. Still, even any star has to answer to the law — this time, the coach once again found himself at the center of public attention due to tax problems.

Time will tell: what steps Ancelotti will take after this case and what his attitude towards the situation will be. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!