German investigators search DFB soccer association HQ over 2024 Euros, Bild says

BERLIN, July 1 : German investigators launched nationwide searches on Wednesday, including at the offices of the DFB soccer association, as part of a probe into suspected ticket and hospitality violations at the 2024 European Championship, the Bild newspaper reported.

The raids were prompted by investigations into a German national and a French national among others, Bild said.

A joint statement by prosecutors in Bochum and the North Rhine-Westphalia state criminal office said searches were being conducted in several locations in Germany, without mentioning the DFB.

The case involves hotel invitations and several thousand tickets that may have been illegally allocated to preferred guests prior to the 2024 Euros, which were hosted across 10 German cities, Bild said.

The German national, at the time a municipal employee from Gelsenkirchen, one of the host cities, was suspected to have received tickets, travel and hotel benefits worth €2,400 ($2,736), Bild said.

"A football ticket is not part of one's salary. Anyone in the public sector who has their hand out will get a visit from us," Herbert Reul, the Interior Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Gelsenkirchen is located, told Bild.

"Major events like the European Football Championship, in particular, rely on public trust — trust in the sport and in the authorities that make it possible. We will not allow that trust to be damaged by a few invitations and tickets."

The statement by prosecutors and police also said the investigation concerned "unauthorised advantages, including a visit to an international football match".

The DFB was not immediately available for comment. UEFA did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Prosecutors in Bochum declined further comment.

The news came in a week of soul-searching in Germany over the team's shock exit to underdogs Paraguay in the World Cup, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz also sparking a backlash for praising the team on social media despite the defeat.

($1 = 0.8772 euros)