Carlo Ancelotti, head coach of Brazil’s national football team and former Real Madrid manager, has been convicted of tax fraud by a Spanish court and handed a one-year prison sentence.
However, due to the sentence being under two years and his clean criminal record, Ancelotti will not serve time behind bars.
The 66-year-old Italian was found guilty of concealing over €1 million in image rights income during his first stint with Real Madrid from 2014 to 2015.
Prosecutors alleged he used shell companies in tax havens to hide earnings, originally seeking a prison term of nearly five years. The court ultimately imposed a reduced sentence and a €386,361 fine.
Ancelotti denied any deliberate wrongdoing, testifying in April that he was unaware his contractual structure could result in unpaid taxes.
Despite his defense, the court determined that Ancelotti had acted with “a conscious desire to evade” taxes through “artificial mechanisms” and “opaque structures.”
He was, however, acquitted of charges related to the 2015 tax year due to a lack of evidence proving his residency in Spain during that time.
Ancelotti joins a list of high-profile football figures such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Jose Mourinho who have faced similar convictions in Spain, all of whom avoided prison through suspended sentences.
A decorated manager, Ancelotti has won five Champions League titles from the sidelines and two as a player with AC Milan. He departed Real Madrid after a trophyless season and is now leading Brazil’s national squad.
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