Celebrity Fan Web – Brazil’s manager Carlo Ancelotti has been sentenced to one year in prison by a Spanish court for tax evasion. However, he will not serve any jail time due to Spanish legal provisions. The court found Ancelotti guilty of failing to pay 1 million euros (£830,000) in taxes on his salary while managing Real Madrid from 2013 to 2015.
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Alongside the prison sentence, Ancelotti must pay a fine of 386,361.93 euros (£333,045.92). Under Spanish law, sentences under two years for non-violent crimes typically do not require jail time for first-time offenders. Since Ancelotti has no prior convictions, he will avoid prison.
Ancelotti, 66, recently ended his second spell at Real Madrid and now manages Brazil’s national team. During the court proceedings, he testified that he “never thought about committing fraud.” He explained that Real Madrid offered him a net salary of 6 million euros (£5.1 million), and he relied on his financial advisers to handle the tax matters. He added that the tax arrangement seemed normal at the time since other players and coaches had similar structures. Ancelotti repaid the full amount owed in December 2021, which likely influenced the court’s leniency.
Context of Tax Cases Among Football Managers and Players
Ancelotti’s case is not isolated in Spanish football. Several high-profile figures have faced similar charges related to tax evasion during their time in Spain. For example, Lionel Messi was initially sentenced to 21 months in prison in 2017 for tax fraud. However, his sentence was reduced to a fine of 252,000 euros, and he did not serve jail time.
Similarly, Cristiano Ronaldo paid an 18.8 million euro fine in 2019 to settle tax issues without facing prison. Jose Mourinho, another former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager, was fined 2.2 million euros for tax offenses during his 2011-12 Real Madrid tenure.
These cases illustrate a trend in Spanish courts toward imposing fines and suspended sentences rather than custodial punishment for tax offenses in the football world. This approach aims to penalize wrongdoing while recognizing that many defendants cooperate and repay debts promptly.
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For Ancelotti, the ruling allows him to continue his coaching career uninterrupted, avoiding the complications of prison time. It also reflects Spain’s legal standards for handling non-violent financial crimes. Looking ahead, football professionals must remain vigilant about tax compliance. As regulations tighten worldwide, relying solely on advisors is no longer enough. Transparency and proactive management of financial matters will be essential to prevent future legal issues.