Acting upon a request by the Federal Cartel Office, the local district court Bonn today has ordered a search of the offices of the German Football Association (DFB) and the German Football League (DFL) in Frankfurt/Main. The search, which included the confiscation of documents, is part of a misdemeanour charge in which the DFB and the DFL are accused to have illegally restricted competition through mutual agreement.
According to the claims made by the Federal Cartel Office, the DFB and the DFL are suspected of establishing a working group whose remit is alleged to include finding ways to limit competition among the two major German football bodies for sponsorships. The search had been triggered by a media report published one year ago. Both the DFB and the DFL deny the accusations and state to have been completely unaware of any charges until today.
The DFB intends to conduct a review of the legal merit of the misdemeanour charge and especially of the commensurability of today’s search, It also reserves itself the right to lodge a formal complaint against the authorities involved.
DFB General Secretary Wolfgang Niersbach said: „Today’s search came as a shock. We have always enjoyed sound and positive working relations with public authorities. In fact, our success during the 2006 FIFA World Cup was based on these very relations. We have no reason to hide anything. If the Federal Cartel Office had only contacted us, we would have provided every document requested. We do not see any hint of an illegal approach or procedure on our side. Let me stress that this search is based on a misdemeanour charge and not on criminal charges. I regret to say that it provides a sad example of how easily trust can be broken these days.“
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Acting upon a request by the Federal Cartel Office, the local district court Bonn today has ordered a search of the offices of the German Football Association (DFB) and the German Football League (DFL) in Frankfurt/Main. The search, which included the confiscation of documents, is part of a misdemeanour charge in which the DFB and the DFL are accused to have illegally restricted competition through mutual agreement.
According to the claims made by the Federal Cartel Office, the DFB and the DFL are suspected of establishing a working group whose remit is alleged to include finding ways to limit competition among the two major German football bodies for sponsorships. The search had been triggered by a media report published one year ago. Both the DFB and the DFL deny the accusations and state to have been completely unaware of any charges until today.
The DFB intends to conduct a review of the legal merit of the misdemeanour charge and especially of the commensurability of today’s search, It also reserves itself the right to lodge a formal complaint against the authorities involved.
DFB General Secretary Wolfgang Niersbach said: „Today’s search came as a shock. We have always enjoyed sound and positive working relations with public authorities. In fact, our success during the 2006 FIFA World Cup was based on these very relations. We have no reason to hide anything. If the Federal Cartel Office had only contacted us, we would have provided every document requested. We do not see any hint of an illegal approach or procedure on our side. Let me stress that this search is based on a misdemeanour charge and not on criminal charges. I regret to say that it provides a sad example of how easily trust can be broken these days.“
