Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Real Madrid, has been charged by state prosecutors in Spain with tax fraud. They allege that during his initial tenure at the club a decade ago, he made use of shell companies to conceal a portion of his income.
Ancelotti could face up to four years and nine months in prison for each of the two tax fraud counts, according to a statement released by prosecutors on Wednesday. They claimed that in 2014 and 2015, the Italian coach had defrauded one million euros.
According to the prosecution, Ancelotti did not disclose any income from image rights during that time and only disclosed the money he received from Real Madrid. They said he created a “confusing” network of front companies to conceal his additional income.
Ancelotti, 64, was Madrid’s coach from 2013 to 2015 before coming back to the team in 2021. Ancelotti is among the most successful football managers in the game’s history. Not only is he the only coach with four Champions League winners’ medals—two with La Liga giants Real Madrid and two with Serie A leaders AC Milan—but he is also the only one with domestic league titles in England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France.