JUST IN: Ancelotti sentenced to prison for tax fraud

Carlo Ancelotti, head coach of the Brazil national football team and former manager of top clubs like Real Madrid and Chelsea, has been sentenced to one year in prison for tax fraud.

According to a report by The Sun UK, the veteran Italian coach was found guilty of evading taxes in 2014, during his time as Real Madrid’s manager.

Authorities accused Ancelotti of concealing income from image rights, thereby failing to fully disclose earnings to Spanish tax officials.

However, the court acquitted him of additional tax-related charges from 2015, also tied to image rights revenue while he remained under contract with Real Madrid.

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Despite the verdict, Ancelotti is unlikely to serve any time behind bars.

Under the Spanish law any sentence under two years for a non-violent crime rarely requires a defendant without previous convictions to serve jail time.

Ancelotti spent three years in his first reign as Real Madrid manager, before leaving in 2016 to join Bayern Munich for a season.

He returned to the Los Blancos in 2021 after spells at Napoli and Everton before leaving Santiago Bernabeu again to take over Brazil this year.

Ancelotti was accused of misleading the tax office to avoid paying over £833,000 in income tax.

However, the 66-year-old had vehemently denied any wrongdoing, but has previously underpaid tax.