Softfootball has discovered that the former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has been sentenced to one year in prison for tax fraud related to his image rights during his first spell in Spain.
According to Metro.co.uk, the Italian gaffer will not serve jail time. The now-Brazil head coach was found guilty of failing to declare earnings from image rights in 2014 while managing Los Blancos. However, he was acquitted of a separate charge concerning the 2015 tax year.
The 66-year-old Italian has also been fined €386,361 (£333,000) by Madrid’s Provincial Court, but under Spanish law, sentences under two years for non-violent offences are typically suspended for first-time offenders.
Spanish prosecutors had initially pushed for a four-year, nine-month jail term and a €3.2 million fine, claiming Ancelotti failed to declare the full extent of his earnings.
“I got in touch with my British adviser and I didn’t think any more about it because it all seemed right,”
Ancelotti told the court during proceedings earlier this year.
“I never thought a fraud could have been committed. But, given that I’m here, I guess things weren’t done that right.”
Ancelotti now joins a growing list of football figures who have been sanctioned over tax irregularities in Spain, including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho, and Diego Costa.
The Italian tactician, who led Real Madrid to multiple Champions League titles across two spells, was appointed Brazil’s national team boss earlier this summer as the Selecao prepares for the 2026 World Cup.
As Softfootball had earlier reported, Ancelotti’s son Davide is now the coach of Botafogo in Brazil till 2026. The 35-year-old is currently part of the Brazil men’s national team’s technical staff, having joined his father, Carlo Ancelotti, on the Seleção’s bench following their arrival earlier this summer.
Davide left his role as assistant coach at Real Madrid alongside Carlo at the end of the 2024-25 season and signed terms with the CBF shortly after.
