The Sun (Malaysia)

POLICE RAID GERMAN FA OFFICES

-

POLICE raided the offices of the German Football Federation (DFB) and the homes of top officials yesterday over tax evasion allegation­s linked to Germany’s hosting of the 2006 World Cup. Prosecutor­s said they were launching a tax probe but could not pursue accusation­s of direct corruption because the statute of limitation­s had expired. About 50 officers swooped on “the DFB headquarte­rs as well as at homes of three accused – the DFB president, former DFB president and former general secretary,” said a prosecutio­n spokeswoma­n, without giving names. The three are understood to be current DFB chief Wolfgang Niersbach, his predecesso­r Theo Zwanziger and ex-general secretary Horst Schmidt. Nadja Niesen, senior state prosecutor, said raids were carried out “over suspicions of tax evasion in a particular­ly serious case”, and related to the €6.7million (RM31.38m) payment to FIFA that was used to buy votes to secure the hosting of the 2006 World Cup. The DFB said it “fully supports” the investigat­ion, adding that prosecutor­s had told the federation the probe was limited to tax evasion allegation­s. “The DFB itself is not an accused party in the proceeding­s,” it added in a statement. FIFA has denied that any deal was made with the DFB over the questionab­le fund, and has launched its own probe into the awarding of the 2006 World Cup.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Malaysia