Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti will face trial next week for allegedly failing to report income to Spain’s tax authorities, according to the Madrid court that will adjudicate the matter on Friday.
The prosecution requests a prison sentence of four years and nine months for the 65-year-old Italian, claiming he cost the Spanish treasury over one million euros ($1.1 million) in unreported earnings related to image rights during 2014 and 2015.
According to a court spokesperson, the trial is scheduled to commence on Wednesday and is anticipated to last two days. The spokesperson added that Ancelotti, who holds the record for winning five Champions League titles as a coach, including three with Real Madrid, is required to attend the hearings.
Prosecutors allege he only reported his salary from Real Madrid on his tax returns for those two years, despite declaring himself a tax resident in Spain and indicating his residence was in Madrid.
They accuse Ancelotti of allegedly creating a “confusing” and “complex” network of shell companies to conceal his additional earnings from image rights and other sources, including real estate.
In 2023, a Spanish court mandated that Ancelotti stand trial regarding this matter but did not specify a date. When questioned about the case last year, Ancelotti referred to it as “an old story that I hope will be resolved soon.”
He began his tenure at Real Madrid in 2013, left in May 2015, and subsequently took a position at Bayern Munich the following year.
The former Italy international midfielder, who won the European Cup twice as a player with AC Milan, also managed Napoli and Everton before returning to Real Madrid in 2021.
In addition to his Champions League accomplishments, he has secured domestic league titles with Madrid and Milan, Chelsea in England, Bayern Munich in Germany, and Paris Saint-Germain in France.
