Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti has received a one-year prison sentence from a Spanish court for tax evasion but will not serve time behind bars.
The 66-year-old Italian, who recently ended his second spell at Real Madrid to take over as Brazil’s head coach, was found guilty of failing to pay €1 million (£830,000) in taxes during his first stint at Real from 2013 to 2015.
Ancelotti must instead pay a fine of €386,361.93 (£333,045.92). Under Spanish law, prison terms under two years for non-violent first-time offenders are typically suspended.
Ancelotti testified earlier this year, saying he never intended to commit fraud and believed the financial structure of his Real Madrid contract — which promised him a net salary of €6 million — was in line with common practice at the time.
“I thought it was quite normal because at that time all the players and the previous coach had [done the same],” he explained in court.
He repaid the full debt in December 2021.
Ancelotti joins a list of football figures previously punished for tax issues in Spain. Lionel Messi was initially handed a 21-month sentence in 2017, later reduced to a fine. Cristiano Ronaldo agreed to an €18.8 million settlement in 2019, while Jose Mourinho paid €2.2 million related to tax charges from his time managing Real Madrid.
