Brazil’s Head Coach, Carlo Ancelotti Jailed One Year for Tax Fraud

Brazil’s head coach and former manager of Real Madrid and Chelsea, Carlo Ancelotti, has been sentenced to one year in prison after being found guilty of tax fraud related to his tenure at Real Madrid in 2014.

Spanish authorities accused the 66-year-old of failing to declare income from image rights, resulting in an alleged tax evasion amounting to over £833,000. While Ancelotti denied any intentional wrongdoing, he acknowledged underpaying taxes that year, attributing the issue to accounting errors. He was exonerated of similar charges linked to his 2015 earnings.

Despite the guilty verdict, Ancelotti is not expected to serve prison time, as Spanish law typically permits first-time, non-violent offenders with sentences under two years to avoid incarceration.

Ancelotti managed Real Madrid from 2013 to 2015 before moving on to Bayern Munich. He has maintained that he did not reside in Spain long enough—183 days—to be legally required to pay taxes there.