Carlo Ancelotti goes on trial in Madrid for alleged evasion

The coach of Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti, appeared in court today for the first day of a trial in which he is accused of not paying €1 million ($1.08 million) in taxes on revenues from image rights during his first stint at the Spanish club.

"I never thought of defrauding the tax authorities. I did not realise that something was not correct'. This is what Ancelotti claimed, responding to magistrates about the alleged tax evasion on the proceeds from the sale of his image rights to the Merengues club. "I was only interested in earning the net six million for three years and I never realised anything was wrong," he said in relation to contracts with the club in 2013-2015. Accused of hiding the income from his image rights from the Spanish tax authorities through companies based abroad, the coach said that this remuneration system had been proposed to him directly by the club. 'All players do it, even Mourinho,' he reported, referring to his predecessor on the Real Madrid bench. "I got in touch with my English advisor and then I didn't deal with the issue, because everything seemed regular," he explained. "Although then, if I am here, it is because things I think were not so correct," he added.

On leaving court, he said it went 'very well'. Asked by reporters if he felt calm, he replied 'yes'.

The Italian Ancelotti is the latest of several football celebrities to be investigated by the Spanish tax authority for alleged tax fraud. Many cases, including those of prominent players such as Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Spain's Diego Costa, have been settled out of court with large fines.

In 2023, however, the Supreme Court upheld the acquittal of the Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso after he refused to plea bargain and defended his innocence.