Carlo Ancelotti, head coach of Brazil’s national football team, has been handed a one-year prison sentence by a Spanish court for tax fraud linked to his time as manager of Real Madrid in 2014.
The court in Madrid also ordered Ancelotti to pay a fine of 386,000 euros (roughly $452,000) after finding him guilty of evading 1 million euros in taxes over the 2014 and 2015 fiscal years. The case centered on undeclared income from image rights, which prosecutors alleged was funneled through offshore shell companies.
One of the companies involved, registered in the Virgin Islands, was described by prosecutors as having “no real (economic) activity” and was allegedly used to conceal earnings from the Spanish tax authority. Ancelotti was first formally charged in March 2024, with prosecutors seeking up to four years and nine months of jail time.
Despite the conviction, Ancelotti is unlikely to serve prison time. Under Spanish law, jail terms of two years or less are typically suspended for non-violent first-time offenders.
A member of Ancelotti’s team, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said his lawyers were satisfied with the outcome, particularly the court’s recognition that Ancelotti was not formally a Spanish resident in 2015.
The Brazilian Football Confederation has not issued any public response to the court’s decision.
Ancelotti joins a list of prominent football figures—including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and José Mourinho—who have faced legal action in Spain over tax issues. None of them have served actual prison time.
Widely regarded as one of football’s greatest managers, Ancelotti, 66, is the only coach to have won the UEFA Champions League five times—three times with Real Madrid and twice with AC Milan. He is also the only manager to win league titles in each of Europe’s “big five” leagues: Spain, England, Italy, Germany, and France.
Ancelotti took up his current role as Brazil’s head coach after concluding his second spell with Real Madrid.
