Ancelotti faces a 4-year prison sentence for tax evasion.

The Spanish Public Prosecutor's Office requested on Thursday a 4-year prison sentence for Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti on charges of fraud and concealing part of his income from local tax authorities. The prosecutor stated, "We consider the facts of fraud, concealment, and negligence to be proven." The case has been referred to the Supreme Court of Justice in Madrid, where the Italian coach has been appearing since Wednesday for legal deliberation before a judgment is issued. According to the Spanish legal system, public prosecutors have the right to add or drop charges, modify the requested penalty based on evidence presented during the trial. Ancelotti, who pleaded for his acquittal through his lawyer on Wednesday, insisted that he "never thought about tax evasion," emphasizing that the capital club itself proposed this system to him to pay a portion of his salary. Following the club's advice, a company was set up so Ancelotti could receive 15% of his annual salary of 6 million euros from image rights. He added, "At that time, all players and coaches were doing it, and it seemed right," pointing out that former Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho had a similar arrangement. His lawyer, who demanded his acquittal, clarified, "Mr. Ancelotti did not fully understand what he was signing." He also indicated that the case could have been settled without resorting to court, accusing the Spanish tax authorities of seeking to subject him to "public humiliation." Ancelotti is also accused of not declaring image rights revenues to the Spanish tax authorities, which exceeded one million euros in 2014 and 2015 during his first period with Real Madrid between 2013 and 2015, before his return to the club in 2021. The Public Prosecutor's Office stated that Ancelotti only declared his salary received from the club, but did not include the revenues from image rights in his tax returns during that period. It believes that Ancelotti's omission in his tax returns was deliberate, pointing out that he "established a complex and confusing network of dummy companies and credit funds to collect image rights revenues." The Public Prosecutor's Office estimated that Ancelotti received 1.24 million euros from the sale of his image rights in 2014, and 2.96 million euros in 2015, amounts in dispute in the case. Previous cases involving football players have resulted in suspended sentences, often through out-of-court settlements. Spain has launched a strict campaign in recent years against football stars who have not paid their dues. Mourinho was sentenced to one year in prison with a suspended sentence after admitting to tax fraud in 2019. Former Barcelona star Lionel Messi and former Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo were convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to prison, but the sentences were dropped as they were first-time offenders.