2 April 2025
Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid coach, appeared before the Madrid Provincial Court on Wednesday in a tax evasion case relating to his first tenure with the club (2014-2015). According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Italian coach is accused of evading a total of €1,062,079, divided between €386,361 in 2014 and €675,718 in 2015.
Part of this amount was recovered through seizure by the Spanish tax agency, in addition to fines and interest exceeding €290,000. Ancelotti appeared in court on Wednesday morning accompanied by his son Davide, Real Madrid's assistant coach, and his wife, Marian Barena, amidst significant media attention.
The Italian coach assured reporters that he does not intend to reach a plea agreement with the public prosecutor, but rather intends to defend his innocence in court. During his 40-minute testimony before the court, Ancelotti confirmed that he never considered defrauding the Spanish public treasury, noting that all his tax affairs were entirely managed by his financial advisors.
He said, "I was only interested in receiving a net salary of €6 million for three years, and I never received any notice of a problem or an investigation against me."
He added that when Real Madrid suggested transferring his image rights, he consulted his British advisor and did not believe there was any violation of the law.
The charges allege that Ancelotti used a network of shell companies to conceal his additional income from image rights and other sources.
The public prosecutor is seeking a five-year prison sentence and a €3.2 million fine for the two tax evasion cases in 2014 and 2015.
Ancelotti said that image rights are not as important to coaches as they are to players, adding: "Image rights don't mean the same to coaches because they don't sell their shirts."
Before the hearing, the public prosecutor's office stated that Spanish tax authorities had been able to collect the outstanding debts plus interest from Ancelotti. However, the parties could still reach an out-of-court settlement at any stage of the case.
The hearing also included testimony from Ancelotti's wife, Marianne, son Davide, and stepdaughter Chloe. A ruling is expected in the coming weeks.
Ancelotti, who as a player earned 26 caps for Italy and participated in the 1990 World Cup, returned to Real Madrid as a coach for the second time in 2021. He has achieved significant success with the team, including winning the Champions League five times as a coach (twice with Milan and three times with Real Madrid).
