Brazil’s head coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has been handed a one-year prison sentence for tax fraud.
The 66-year-old, who previously managed AC Milan and Chelsea, was charged with evading taxes on his image rights earnings and was convicted of tax fraud related to 2014, during his tenure at Real Madrid.
Ancelotti also faced allegations of deceiving the Spanish tax authorities to evade paying over £833,000 in income tax.
The former Chelsea and Real Madrid coach strongly denied any misconduct, asserting that he had not violated the law because he did not reside in Spain for the 183 days required for tax obligations.
He has acknowledged underpaying taxes in 2014 and attributed the issue to mistakes made by his accountants.
Under Spanish law, Ancelotti is likely to receive a suspended sentence, as sentences under two years for non-violent offenses typically do not require first-time offenders to serve jail time.
Ancelotti managed Real Madrid for three years in his initial stint before departing in 2016 to lead Bayern Munich for one season.
After managing Napoli and making a surprising return to the Premier League with Everton, he rejoined Real Madrid in 2021. He now serves as Brazil’s manager, having taken the role this year, and is poised to guide the team into the 2026 World Cup.
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