CARLO ANCELOTTI SENTENCED TO ONE YEAR IN PRISON AFTER BEING FOUND GUILTY OF TAX FRAUD
EL-ZION NEWS
Carlo Ancelotti has been handed a one-year prison sentence after being found guilty of tax fraud.
The current Brazil manager was convicted for offences dating back to 2014, during his time in charge at Real Madrid. He was accused of hiding income earned from his image rights while working for the Spanish club.
However, Ancelotti was acquitted of additional charges relating to 2015, which also involved the handling of image rights revenue during his employment with Real Madrid.
Despite the guilty verdict, it is highly unlikely Ancelotti will serve time in prison. Under Spanish law, sentences under two years for non-violent offences are typically suspended for first-time offenders with no prior convictions.
Ancelotti's first stint with Real Madrid lasted three years, ending in 2016 when he moved on to manage Bayern Munich. He later took charge of Napoli and Everton, before returning to Madrid in 2021. Earlier this year, he left the club again to become the head coach of the Brazilian national team.
The 66-year-old was accused of deceiving the Spanish tax authorities in order to avoid paying over £833,000 in income tax. While Ancelotti strongly denied any intentional wrongdoing, he previously acknowledged underpaying taxes in 2014, attributing the issue to mistakes made by his accountants.
Maintaining his innocence, Ancelotti argued that he did not meet the residency threshold of 183 days in Spain required for taxation, and therefore believed he was not legally obligated to pay Spanish income tax for that year.