March 06, (THEWILL) – Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has addressed accusations of tax evasion during his previous stint with the Spanish giants.
A Spanish prosecutor is seeking a prison sentence of four years and nine months for the Italian coach over allegations he avoided paying €1 million in taxes on image rights revenues while managing Real Madrid in 2014 and 2015.
According to the prosecutor’s statement on Wednesday, although Ancelotti was a resident in Spain for tax purposes at the time and filed his tax returns there, he omitted the income earned through his image rights – totalling 4.2 million euros. The prosecutor alleges that Ancelotti pretended to transfer his image rights to entities lacking real activity outside Spain to avoid paying taxes.
Ancelotti, however, remains unfazed by the accusations. Speaking to reporters after Real Madrid’s 1-1 draw with RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League last-16 second leg tie on Wednesday, the Italian coach said: “It’s an old story and it’s not affecting me. I hope it can be solved soon and I don’t have any problem and I’m calm about it.”
The Real Madrid boss acknowledged the more pressing issue at hand, stating: “The only problem I have is that the team needs to perform better.” Ancelotti’s focus appears to be firmly on his team’s on-field performances as they navigate through the remainder of the season at home and in Europe.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.