German football body investigated for tax fraud

FRANKFURT: The German judiciary on Wednesday searched the premises of the German Football Association (DFB) and the homes of “current and former officials” as part of an investigation into serious tax fraud, the Frankfurt public prosecutor announced.

Six current or former officials are under investigation for “tax fraud in particularly serious cases,” said the prosecutor in a press release, without giving any names.

The suspects are believed to have “deliberately incorrectly declared income from perimeter advertising for international matches of the national football team in 2014 and 2015,” according to the statement.

As a result, the DFB avoided paying around 4.7 million euros ($5.5 million) in taxes, the prosecutors said.