Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti will go on trial on Wednesday for allegedly failing to declare income to Spain's tax office, the latest in a string of such cases targeting sports figures in the country. Prosecutors are seeking a jail term of four years and nine months for the 65-year-old Italian, accusing him of costing Spain's treasury more than one million euros ($1.1 million) due to undeclared earnings from image rights in 2014 and 2015. Previous similar cases involving footballers have resulted in suspended sentences. The trial at the High Court of Justice in Madrid at 10am local time and is expected to last two days.
Prosecutors accuse Ancelotti of only declaring in his tax returns the personal remuneration received from Real Madrid during those two years even though he declared himself a tax resident in Spain and indicated his home was in Madrid.
They allege he set up a "confusing" and "complex" system of shell companies to hide his extra earnings during this time from his image rights and other sources such as real estate.
A judge leading the investigation said Ancelotti had "acknowledged" the actions that deprived the treasury of money, according to a 2023 court document seen by AFP, which could open the door to a last-minute agreement with prosecutors to settle the case without trial and avoid prison.
Ancelotti, who as a coach has won a record five Champions League trophies including three with Real Madrid, dismissed the affair last year as "an old story that I hope will be resolved soon".
"I have confidence in the legal and justice system, so I am not worried," he added last week after the court set a date for his trial.
"Of course it upsets me a little if they believe I have committed fraud, but I will go
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