Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti is expected to appear in court for the first day of a trial in which he is accused of failing to pay 1 million euros in tax on revenue from image rights during his initial stint at the club.
Ancelotti, an Italian, is the latest soccer celebrity being investigated by the Spanish tax authority for alleged tax fraud, joining a list that includes prominent players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Costa, many of whom have settled their cases out of court with substantial fines.
In 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the acquittal of Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso after he chose to defend his innocence instead of settling.
The prosecutor is seeking a sentence of four years and nine months in addition to a fine of 3.2 million euros for two counts of tax evasion in 2014 and 2015. It argues that Ancelotti only reported his salary from Real Madrid and omitted income from his image rights in his tax returns.
Ancelotti expressed confidence in the Spanish justice system and looked forward to testifying in court. Before the hearing, the prosecutor indicated that Spain's tax authority had seized the debt, including interest, from Ancelotti.
The trial is set to take place over three days in a Madrid court, with the possibility of an out-of-court agreement being reached before or during the process.
Ancelotti, who was capped 26 times for Italy and played in the 1990 World Cup, returned to Real Madrid for a second stint as coach in 2021. He has won the Champions League five times as a coach, twice with AC Milan and three times with Real.