Brazil national team coach Carlo Ancelotti received a one-year prison sentence and was fined $452,000 by a Madrid court after failing to pay image rights revenues in 2014, per ESPN.
Ancelotti — who initially coached Real Madrid from 2013 to 2015 — was handed the sentence and fine after the court determined he listed “only the salary he was paid by Madrid and omitted image rights income in his Spanish tax returns,” per ESPN.
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Ancelotti’s punishment only applies to 2014, however, after the court could not prove he remained in Spain long enough in 2015 to “incur tax liabilities,” per the court. Ancelotti moved to London shortly after he was fired by Real Madrid in 2015.
While Ancelotti, 66, was given a one-year sentence, it’s unlikely he’ll serve any time. Under Spanish law, a sentence of under two years for a non-violent crime rarely results in jail time if the defendant has no previous convictions.
Ancelotti’s punishment could have been worse. The court originally sought a prison sentence of nearly five years and a fine of over $3 million, per the Associated Press.
Following his first stint with Real Madrid, Ancelotti spent time with Bayern Munich, Napoli and Everton before returning to Real Madrid in 2021. His second stint with the team lasted until May, when he left to coach the Brazil national team.
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Ancelotti is far from the only prominent soccer figure to be investigated for possible tax issues in Spain. Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Costa also had cases brought against them, though settled out of court.
Brazil’s football confederation said it was monitoring Ancelotti’s case, per ESPN.
Ancelotti’s press officer, Carlos Sanchez, told the Associated Press the coach would not make any comments on the situation at this time.
