The Office of the Prosecutor in Madrid is calling for a sentence of four years and nine months for coach Carlo Ancelotti.
According to Relevo on March 6th, the Madrid Prosecutor’s Office accuses Ancelotti of two counts of tax evasion from income derived from image rights, amounting to $420,000 in 2014 and $735,000 in 2015. During these periods, Ancelotti was residing in Spain, earning income from the exploitation of image rights totaling $1.4 million and $3.1 million USD, respectively. The recommended sentence by the Prosecutor’s Office is four years and nine months.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Ancelotti only declared income from coaching Real Madrid in his tax returns. This agency states that regarding income from image rights, in July 2013, the Italian coach evaded taxes by transferring image rights to Vapia Limited, a company based outside Spain, for $27.5 million over a 10-year period. Subsequently, Ancelotti was purportedly appointed as the company’s director and reduced the contract value to $1.1 million over three years.
In the near future, Ancelotti may be interrogated and sentenced. “If convicted, one of the most renowned football coaches in history may see his career end in disgrace,” Goal wrote.
Ancelotti first signed as Real Madrid coach from July 2013 to June 2016. He was dismissed a year early but continued to rent a house in Madrid until the end of 2015. In his initial two years, he helped Real win the Champions League, the Copa del Rey, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Ancelotti returned to Real in 2021 and has been working there since. This time, he has won additional titles including the Champions League, La Liga, the Copa del Rey, two Supercopa de España titles, the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, and is on track for another La Liga and Champions League. Last December, he extended his contract until June 2026.
Ancelotti has also won two Champions League titles, Serie A with AC Milan, the Premier League with Chelsea, Ligue 1 with PSG, and the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich. With four Champions League titles, he is the most successful coach in the competition.
On the evening of March 6th, Real will host Leipzig in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16. In the first leg, Ancelotti’s team won 1-0 away.