Football : Carlo Ancelotti targeted by prison sentence request for tax fraud
The world of football has been rocked by shocking news as the Spanish public prosecutor’s office has revealed its intentions regarding the esteemed coach of Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti.
In a headline-making announcement on Wednesday, the prosecutor’s office stated that it would seek a sentence of four years and nine months in prison for Ancelotti as part of an upcoming trial for tax fraud.
This decision has sparked considerable uproar in the sports world as the renowned Italian coach finds himself at the center of a case that could have repercussions not only for himself but also for the prestigious club he manages.
In an official statement, the prosecutor’s office outlined its demand, stating that it was seeking this significant sentence against the Italian coach for defrauding the Spanish Treasury of an amount exceeding one million euros over the years 2014 and 2015. Ancelotti allegedly failed to declare his income from his image rights.
This announcement was made just hours before Real Madrid played the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against RB Leipzig on their home turf.
The legal process was initiated after three years of investigation when, in the summer of 2023, a court in the Madrid region decided to refer Carlo Ancelotti to the criminal court. To date, the trial date has not yet been set.
According to statements from the prosecutor’s office and the tax authorities, the Italian coach only declared his income as Real Madrid’s coach for the years 2014 and 2015 to the tax authorities, deliberately omitting those from his image rights, as well as other sources of income.
According to the prosecutor’s office, this omission was intentional, with Ancelotti allegedly setting up, according to the statement, a « complex and confusing network of trusts and intermediary companies to channel the collection of image rights ».
