Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is trying on his tax evasion charges in court in the Spanish capital.
Ancelotti, 65, arrived at the Madrid provincial court on Wednesday morning and was found sitting in the dock.
Italians are accused of deliberately misleading the tax office of the Spanish giant between 2014 and 2015 to avoid paying more than 1 million euros (£833,000) in income tax.
Asked about his income from transferring his image rights to Real Madrid, Marca said: “I only care about collecting 6 million net bills for three years, I never realized there was any problem, and I never received any communications from the prosecutor’s office investigating me.
“When Real Madrid asked me about this (citing the transfer of image rights), I contacted my English consultant and never got involved with it because everything seemed to be right for me. I don’t think this could be a fraud, although if I were here, I believe things aren’t that right.
Ancelotti denied any misconduct and vowed to deal with the allegations. He appeared in court after Real Madrid’s exciting defeat to Copa del Rey in the match against Real Madrid.
The Italian manager had previously admitted to paying taxes in 2014, but blamed his accountant for the mistakes he made.
He insisted that he did not violate any law in 2015 because he did not spend 183 days in Spain to pay taxes.
But prosecutors claimed that during this period, Ancelotti’s main source of income came from the real one, as he was not in charge of Bayern Munich until 2016.
According to Sport, Ancelotti is required to be imprisoned for four years if the prosecutor is found guilty of the charges against him.
Ancelotti had previously spoken about his case and said he was “convinced that I was innocent”.
“This is an old story,” he told reporters. The prosecutor’s office believes I was a resident in 2015 and I believe I am not.
The fine has been paid and the case is in the hands of my lawyer. I firmly believe that I am innocent. Let’s see the judge’s decision.
