The Public Prosecution demands the imprisonment of Ancelotti

The Spanish Public Prosecutor's Office has upheld its demand for a four-year and nine-month prison sentence for Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, accused of concealing part of his income from image rights from Spanish tax authorities. This came in a Madrid court, where the case was adjourned to the Spanish Supreme Court for legal deliberations, pending a ruling. The prosecutor indicated that "the facts of fraud, concealment, and negligence are proven," asserting that Ancelotti failed to declare the image rights revenues he received from his work with Real Madrid between 2014 and 2015, which exceeded one million euros. The Italian coach is accused of not reporting these revenues in his tax returns, leading to charges of a complex tax fraud scheme involving a network of shell companies and trusts. Ancelotti has rejected these charges, asserting that he did not intend to evade taxes. His lawyer said that the Italian coach "did not fully understand what he was signing," explaining that all financial transactions were carried out on the advice of Real Madrid at the time. He added that the case could have been resolved without judicial intervention, accusing the Spanish tax authorities of trying to subject the Italian coach to "public humiliation." It is noteworthy that the case comes at a sensitive time for Ancelotti, the coach who returned to Real Madrid in 2021 after a previous stint at the club between 2013 and 2015. A number of prominent football players, such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, have previously faced similar tax evasion cases in Spain, which resulted in suspended prison sentences.