Brazil national men’s football team coach Carlo Ancelotti has been handed a one-year suspended prison sentence and fined 386,000 euros (approximately KES 54 million) by a Spanish court after being found guilty of tax fraud during his previous tenure as Real Madrid manager in 2014.

The verdict was delivered on Wednesday, bringing to a close a long-running legal saga.

Prosecutors had accused the veteran Italian coach of defrauding the Spanish state of 1 million euros (over KES 140 million) in unpaid taxes related to image rights income from 2014 and 2015.

They had initially sought a much harsher sentence of up to four years and nine months in prison on two counts of tax fraud.

However, 66 year-old Ancelotti, will not serve any actual jail time. Under Spanish law, a judge has the discretion to suspend sentences of less than two years for first-time offenders who do not have a prior criminal record, a provision that applies to the highly decorated coach.

This legal precedent has previously seen football giants like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, along with former Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, avoid incarceration despite similar convictions.

In March 2024, prosecutors detailed their accusations, claiming Ancelotti utilized shell companies, including one in the Virgin Islands that allegedly lacked “any real economic activity,” as part of a scheme to conceal his true earnings.

Carlos Sanchez, Ancelotti’s press officer, indicated the coach would not immediately comment on the ruling. Brazil’s football confederation (CBF) acknowledged the case, stating they are “following the case.”

Ancelotti, who departed Real Madrid at the end of last season to take the reins of the Brazil national team, is celebrated as one of football’s most successful managers.

He holds the unique distinction of being the only coach to have won the UEFA Champions League five times and secured domestic league titles in England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France.