German investigators walked into DFB headquarters on Wednesday. Not for a friendly visit — as part of a nationwide search operation tied to suspected illegal ticket and hospitality dealings at last summer's European Championship.
According to Bild, raids were carried out across multiple locations in Germany, with the DFB's offices among those searched. Prosecutors in Bochum, working alongside the North Rhine-Westphalia state criminal office, confirmed the searches were underway but stopped short of naming the DFB directly in their official statement.
What the investigation actually involves
The core allegation: thousands of tickets and hotel packages for Euro 2024 were illegally funnelled to preferred guests before the tournament kicked off across 10 German cities. The investigation centres on a German national — a municipal employee from Gelsenkirchen, one of the host cities — suspected of pocketing tickets, travel, and hotel benefits worth €2,400. A French national is also under scrutiny.
The official language from prosecutors was careful but pointed: the case concerns "unauthorized advantages, including a visit to an international football match."
That's a relatively modest sum at the individual level. But ticket-touting and hospitality corruption at major tournaments rarely stays modest once investigators start pulling threads. The involvement of a municipal employee from a host city raises questions about how deep the network of preferred allocations actually ran.
What this means beyond the headlines
For the DFB, the timing is awkward. Germany hosted a tournament widely praised for its organisation and atmosphere — this is now a shadow hanging over that legacy. UEFA, who distribute tournament tickets and hospitality packages, did not respond to requests for comment.
The DFB also declined to comment immediately. Neither organisation's silence is surprising, but it won't hold for long if prosecutors keep expanding their search radius.
Prosecutors in Bochum declined to add anything further. The investigation continues.
