Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti (pictured), who is standing trial for tax evasion in the Spanish capital, told its Provincial Court on Wednesday that he “never thought about committing fraud.”
Spanish prosecutors are seeking a four-year, nine-month prison term and a fine of £2.7million for the 65-year-old Italian, after accusing him of failing to pay £830,000 in tax on his image rights from his first stint at Real from 2013 to 2015.
However, Ancelotti said: “For me, everything was in order.”
He explained that he was offered a net salary of €6million (£5.1m) by Real and that he left the structure of it to his financial advisors.
"I thought it was quite normal because at that time all the players and the previous coach had done the same."
"For coaches, image rights don’t mean the same as they do for players because they don’t sell shirts."
With Ancelotti earning millions, it is prudent to have financial advisors. However, blaming them for financial impropriety probably doesn’t sit well with the courts in Spain, who are increasingly dealing with tax evasion charges from foreign football stars.
In the past, former Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo accepted a staggering €18.8m fine following an out-of-court settlement with Spanish tax courts.