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Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti faces over 4-years in prison after being charged with defrauding the Treasury of £800,000 by prosecutors in Madrid

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Carlo Ancelotti

 

Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti could reportedly face over four years in prison after prosecutors in Madrid charged him with having defrauded the Treasury to the tune of over £854,000 (€1million), according to reports in Spain.

The Italian manager is said to have not paid the necessary tax during his first stint managing the Madrid club between 2013 and 2015, despite being registered as a resident in Spain for tax purposes.

Ancelotti allegedly declared his earnings from his Real Madrid salary but is accused of having omitted money earned from his image rights, instead transferring the sum to other entities.

The former Chelsea and AC Milan head coach has been charged with two crimes against Spain’s Public Treasury by the Provincial Prosecutor’s Officer in Madrid, and as per Marca, a prison sentence of four years and nine months has been requested should Ancelotti be found guilty.

The total sum in question stems from the fiscal years 2014 and 2015, with the first year reportedly seeing Ancelotti fail to declare £33,813 (€39,575) and the second £577,340 (€675,718).

The prosecutors’ official statement with the announcement of the charges alleges that the 64-year-old set up a ‘complex’ and ‘confusing’ network of trusts and companies that allowed the money earned from his image rights to be domiciled outside of Spain.

 

This, the prosecutors stated saw Ancelotti pursuing opacity in the face of the Spanish Public Treasury and the concealment of the real beneficiary of his income from his image rights, so that neither he nor any of the said companies, would have to pay taxes on the large amounts received in Spain or outside our country’.

According to prosecutors, Ancelotti transferred his image rights to Vapia Limited for a period of ten years for £21m (€25m) in July 2013, shortly signing after his first three-year contract with Real Madrid.

 

Ancelotti is then alleged to have appointed himself at the helm of the company, ‘granting him the maximum powers of action to manage his image rights’, before later reducing the length of the period covered to three years and dropping the sale price to £854,000 (€1m).

 

He was then said to have transferred 50 per cent of his image rights to Real Madrid in a private contract, with the other 50 per cent being held in an ‘unnamed’ and ‘undetermined’ company named Vapia LLP, which was domiciled in London.

‘In this way, the accused used the company Vapia LLP so that it formally presented itself to Real Madrid as the owner of the image rights even though it had not even been formally attributed to them, since the aforementioned transfer contract of 1 July 2013 was with Vapia Limited,’ the prosecutors’ letter continues.

 

During his time at the club and while domiciled in Spain, Ancelotti is claimed to have ‘omitted all income corresponding to the exploitation of his image rights’ when filing his self-assessed tax declarations, which in 2014 amounted to £1.1m (€1.2m), and £2.5m (€2.9m) in the 2015 financial year.

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Court resumes hearing in case involving Anthony Joshua’s driver

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A Magistrate Court sitting in Sagamu, Ogun State, has resumed hearing in the case against Adeniyi Kayode, the driver of a Lexus SUV involved in the fatal road crash that claimed the lives of two close associates of heavyweight boxing star, Anthony Joshua.

Kayode, 46, was arraigned before the Sagamu Magistrate Court on January 2, with Magistrate Olufunilayo Somefun presiding.

He is facing a four-count charge bordering on dangerous driving causing death, reckless and negligent driving, driving without due care and attention resulting in bodily harm and property damage, as well as driving without a valid national driver’s license.

The charges are said to be contrary to various provisions of the Federal Highway Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as applicable in Ogun State.

The court had earlier granted the defendant bail in the sum of ₦5 million with two sureties.

The case stems from a tragic accident that occurred on December 29, 2025, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where the Lexus SUV reportedly collided with a stationary truck.

The crash led to the deaths of Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, both close associates of the former world heavyweight champion.

Joshua and the driver were said to have sustained minor injuries in the incident. The boxer was later discharged from the hospital after being certified medically stable to continue his recovery at home.

Following the tragedy, Joshua, accompanied by his mother, visited a funeral home in Lagos to pay his last respects as arrangements were made to repatriate the bodies of the deceased to the United Kingdom.

Ayodele and Ghami were laid to rest after a funeral prayer held on January 4, 2026, at the London Central Mosque, followed by burial at Hendon Cemetery.

Their deaths, particularly Ghami’s as Joshua’s strength and conditioning coach and Ayodele’s as his personal trainer and confidant, drew widespread tributes from across the global boxing community.

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Senegal win chaotic AFCON final after Morocco miss penalty and stage walk-off protest

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Senegal 1-0 Morocco (after extra time): Brahim Diaz fluffed a ‘Panenka’ penalty for the chance to win the Africa Cup of Nations, after the Senegal team had stormed off the pitch in protest | By WILL CASTLE

Pape Gueye’s stunning goal in extra time won the Africa Cup of Nations final for Senegal – after hosts Morocco missed the chance to win the trophy for the first time in 50 years as Brahim Diaz fluffed a ‘Panenka’ penalty following a controversial late decision that sparked an extraordinary protest from the Senegal team.

The final in Rabat descended into chaos deep into stoppage time when Morocco were awarded a penalty after a VAR review by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala when Diaz went down the box under the challenge of El Hadji Malick Diouf.

Senegal, who had an opening goal disallowed for a soft foul on Morocco captain Achraf Hakimin moments before, were outraged and the majority of the Senegal team, led by head coach Pape Thiaw, stormed off the pitch, leading to a 14-minute delay.

When Senegal were convinced to come back onto the pitch by talisman Sadio Mane, Diaz, with the chance to win a historic Africa Cup of Nations title for the hosts Morocco in the 24th minute of stoppage time, chipped his penalty softly down the middle – resulting in the easiest of saves for goalkeeper Mendy.

The final then went to extra time, where Gueye scored a stunning goal to win Senegal their second Africa Cup of Nations title in four years, in a final that will be remembered as one of the most chaotic international matches of all time.

 

 

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Obodo Village Wins Senator Samuel Anyanwu’s Multimillion Naira Football Competition in Thrilling Penalty Shootout

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Mark Chisom, Owerri— January 15, 2026

Obodo Village has emerged victorious in the highly anticipated Samuel Anyanwu Football Competition, clinching the championship after a dramatic 5-4 penalty shootout victory over Egbelu Village. The match, held today at Amaimo Central School in Ikeduru Local Government Area, ended in a 0-0 draw, setting the stage for the nerve-wracking penalty shootout.

After both teams failed to score during regular play, the match proceeded to penalties, where Obodo Village showed exceptional composure to convert five of their attempts, while Egbelu Village could only manage four.

The competition, which began several weeks ago, saw teams from various villages across the community compete for the championship title. The final match was the culmination of months of preparation, with both teams showcasing remarkable skill and sportsmanship.

In his address at the closing ceremony, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the tournament’s sponsor, congratulated both teams for their determination and sportsmanship throughout the competition. “This tournament was not just about winning but about fostering unity and teamwork among our communities,” Senator Anyanwu said. “I am proud of the dedication each team showed, and I look forward to even greater participation in the future.”

Senator Anyanwu also announced plans to sponsor a bigger football competition in December 2026, further emphasizing his commitment to nurturing local talent. Additionally, he promised to sponsor exceptional footballers to modern football academies, offering them the opportunity to develop their skills at a professional level.

Obodo Village’s win has been hailed as a historic achievement for the community, with fans and supporters celebrating their hard-earned victory.

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