Carlo Ancelotti, the manager of Real Madrid, is set to face trial next week as he is accused of not disclosing his income to Spain’s tax authorities. The Madrid court handling this case made this announcement on Friday.
The prosecutors are demanding a prison sentence of four years and nine months for the 65-year-old Italian man, alleging that he caused an overone-million-euro loss to Spain’s national budget due to unreported income related to image rights in 2014 and 2015.
The proceedings are set to commence on Wednesday and are anticipated to continue for two days, according to a statement from the courthouse representative.
Ancelotti, the coach who holds the record for winning five UEFA Champions League titles, including three with Real Madrid, is required to attend the hearings according to the spokesman.
When Ancelotti showed up at his pre-match press conference on Friday, he seemed quite calm regarding the announcement.
“This isn’t really the spot for discussing this,” he stated.
“I have confidence in the legal and justice system, so I am not worried.
Naturally, it bothers me somewhat that they think I’ve committed fraud, but I’ll proceed with testifying in hopes of changing their minds.
The prosecutors allege that he reported only the income from Real Madrid for those two years on his tax returns, despite claiming to be a Spanish tax resident with his residence registered in Madrid.
They allege that Ancelotti set up a “bewildering” and “complicated” network of shell corporations with the aim of concealing additional income derived from his image rights along with earnings from other ventures like property deals.
According to prosecutors, he made 1.24 million euros in 2014 from selling his image rights and 2.96 million euros in 2015.
In 2023, a Spanish court instructed Ancelotti to face a trial regarding the case; however, they have yet to announce a specific date for it.
Last year, Ancelotti brushed off the matter as “a past issue that I trust will be settled shortly” when questioned about the case.
In 2013, he assumed control of Real Madrid, departed in May 2015, and subsequently was named as the new manager for Bayern Munich the next year.
– Spanish crackdown –
The former Italy international midfielder, who as a player won the European Cup twice with AC Milan, later managed Napoli and Everton before returning to Real Madrid in 2021.
Apart from his achievements in the Champions League, he has claimed domestic league championships with Real Madrid and AC Milan, as well as in England at Chelsea, in Germany with Bayern Munich, and in France at Paris Saint-Germain.
In recent years, Spain has taken stringent measures against prominent footballers who failed to pay their dues.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were both convicted of tax fraud and were handed prison terms, which were subsequently nullified due to their status as first-time offenders.
In 2019, former Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho was handed a one-year suspended sentence following his admission of guilt regarding tax fraud charges.
In 2023, Colombian megastar Shakira reached an agreement to undergo a three-year suspended sentence and pay €7.3 million in penalties to resolve a tax evasion case and bypass a trial.
The prosecutors alleged that the artist behind “Hips Don’t Lie” cheated the Spanish government out of 14.5 million euros related to her earnings from 2012 to 2014. However, Shakira refuted these accusations, stating that she did not permanently relocate to Spain until 2015.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc.
Syndigate.info
).
