Brazil’s national football team manager Carlo Ancelotti has been handed a one-year prison sentence by a Spanish court for tax evasion. However, he will not serve time behind bars due to the nature of the sentence and his lack of prior convictions.
The charge stems from unpaid taxes amounting to 1 million euros on earnings from Ancelotti’s first spell as Real Madrid manager, which spanned from 2013 to 2015. Although the court found him guilty, the 66-year-old will not be incarcerated. Instead, he has been ordered to pay a fine of 386,361.93 euros, equivalent to approximately £333,000.
Ancelotti recently concluded his second stint as head coach of Real Madrid and has since taken over as Brazil’s national team coach. During his court testimony earlier this year, the veteran manager insisted he never intended to commit any fraud. He explained that he had agreed to a net salary of 6 million euros with Real Madrid and left the structuring of his finances to his advisers, believing everything was handled properly.
He stated that he thought his financial arrangements were standard practice, especially since other players and coaching staff at the time had similar setups. Ancelotti fully repaid the owed amount back in December 2021, well before the court delivered its final judgment.
Spanish law generally allows for sentences under two years for non-violent offenses to be suspended, particularly for individuals with no criminal history. This has been the case for a number of high-profile figures involved in similar tax-related cases in the football world.
Notably, Lionel Messi, who was convicted in 2017 for failing to pay taxes while at Barcelona, initially received a 21-month sentence. However, this was later converted into a fine of 252,000 euros, and he too avoided jail time. Similarly, Cristiano Ronaldo, during his time at Real Madrid, resolved a tax dispute by agreeing to pay a hefty 18.8 million euro fine in 2019.
Another major football figure, Jose Mourinho, was fined 2.2 million euros for tax offenses committed during his tenure as Real Madrid manager in the 2011–2012 season. Like Ancelotti, Mourinho also avoided jail time due to the structure of Spanish sentencing laws.
Ancelotti remains one of the most successful managers in football history, having won three Champions League titles during his two terms at Real Madrid. Despite the tax controversy, he continues his illustrious coaching career, now leading Brazil with high expectations ahead of future international competitions.
The case highlights the continued scrutiny faced by top football professionals regarding their financial affairs, especially those connected to image rights and offshore payment structures. While Ancelotti’s sentence does not involve prison time, the financial penalty and public attention serve as a reminder of the legal obligations tied to earnings in high-profile roles.
