German Court fines FA over 2026 World Cup-related payment
FRANKFURT, Germany - A German Court on Wednesday fined the German Football Association (DFB) just over 100,000 euros in relation to a World Cup 2006-related payment which had been at the heart of a years-long scandal that tarnished the reputation of the tournament.
The DFB said it took note of Frankfurt Regional Court's decision on Wednesday, adding that an appeal was possible but it would first study the written verdict once published.
The case regarding a payment of 6.7 million euros ($7.8 million) made two decades ago damaged the image of the global showpiece event held in Germany.
At the heart of the case that dragged through the legal system and involved several other separate investigations is the payment linked to a 2006 World Cup-related event that never took place.
The tax return included a 6.7 million euro payment from the DFB to world soccer's governing body FIFA for the 2006 World Cup, although the funds were actually used for another purpose and should not have been offset against tax, prosecutors had said.
"According to the ruling, the court assumes that the DFB fully declared and taxed its income from the 2006 World Cup. However, it believes that the 6.7 million euros should have been deducted for tax purposes in 2002, not in 2006," the DFB said in a statement.
"The Regional Court imposed a fine of 130,000 euros on the DFB because it ruled in isolation on the year 2006 and did not take into account the excessive tax paid for 2002," the DFB said.
"The DFB only has to pay 110,000 euros because the court deducted 20,000 euros due to the excessive length of the proceedings.
In April, the same court had discharged former DFB President Theo Zwanziger after ordering him to pay a 10,000-euro fine.
The payment in question had triggered investigations over allegations it had been used as a slush fund to buy votes in favour of Germany's bid to host the 2006 tournament.
A DFB-commissioned investigation in 2016 had said the sum was the return of a loan via FIFA from former Adidas chief Robert Louis-Dreyfus.
The German tax office ordered the DFB in 2017 to pay more than 20 million euros in back taxes related to the year 2006.
The tournament was nicknamed the "summer fairytale" because of the home team's run to the semi-finals, and the sold-out stadiums and outdoor viewing areas across the country which attracted hundreds of thousands of fans. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
28 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Top Ukrainian commander sees new assault on key eastern city
A Russian military helicopter flies past a flock of birds in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, a Russian-controlled city of Ukraine, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko Ukraine's top commander said on Saturday that his forces faced a new onslaught against a key city on the eastern front of its war against Russia, while Moscow said it was making progress in another sector farther southwest. After their initial failed advance on the capital Kyiv in the first weeks after the February 2022 invasion, Russian troops have focused on capturing all of Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. The city of Kostiantynivka has been a major target. Ukrainian forces have for months defended the city against fierce assaults, with the regional governor urging remaining residents this week to evacuate as infrastructure breaks down. Top Ukrainian commander Oleksander Syrskyi, writing on Telegram on Saturday, said the area around Kostiantynivka was gripped by heavy fighting. "The enemy is surging towards Kostiantynivka, but apart from sustaining numerous losses, has achieved nothing," Syrskyi said. "The aggressor is trying to break through our defences and advance along three operating sectors." A spokesman for Ukrainian forces in the east, Viktor Trehubov, told the Ukrinform news agency that Kostiantynivka and the city of Pokrovsk to the west were "the main arena of battles and the Kremlin's strategic ambitions". Syrskyi also said that Ukrainian forces had withstood in the past week a powerful attack near the village of Yablunivka in northeastern Sumy region, where Russian forces have been trying to establish a buffer zone inside the Ukrainian border. Russia's Defence Ministry, in a report earlier in the day, said Moscow's forces had seized the village of Chervona Zirka -- further southwest, near the administrative border of Dnipropetrovsk region. Russia's slow advance through eastern Ukraine, with Moscow claiming a string of villages day after day, has resulted in destruction of major cities and infrastructure. Moscow has insisted that progress towards a settlement of the 40-month-old war depends on Ukraine recognising Moscow's control over four Ukrainian regions -- Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Russian forces control about one-fifth of Ukraine's territory, though they do not fully hold any of the four regions. Moscow has said in recent weeks that its troops have made advances in areas adjacent to Dnipropetrovsk region, which lies next to both Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Ukrainian officials have denied those reports. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
South American clubs still lack killer instinct, say FIFA experts
MIAMI :The gulf between South American and European teams may not be as wide as expected at the Club World Cup, but a clear gap still exists in their efficiency in front of goal, according to FIFA technical experts. Arsene Wenger, FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, and Juergen Klinsmann, former Germany and U.S. national team coach, were speaking at a round table on Saturday as the tournament enters its knockout phase. "At the start of the competition, many opponents seemed to fear playing against the European teams," Wenger said. "But as things progressed - especially the Brazilians - they began to realise it might not be so different after all." Flamengo and Botafogo beat European teams during the group phase of the 32-team competition, with the latter's 1-0 victory over European champions Paris St Germain standing out. Wenger said growing belief, especially among Brazilian sides, has shifted the dynamic heading into the last 16. "Maybe it's also because they've gained the confidence to do it. That shift in mindset could mean we'll see a different Brazil in the knockout stage than we saw in the group phase," he added. The Frenchman highlighted the influence of Filipe Luis, whose Flamengo side showed what Wenger called the most European tactical profile among South American sides at the tournament. "Filipe has ... played in Europe, and you can see that in the way his team approaches the game," Wenger said. GAP CLOSING Wenger and Klinsmann said South American clubs were quickly closing the gap in infrastructure and preparation. "When we visited the teams, we saw delegations of up to 100 people - support staff, analysts, advisors," Wenger said. "With squads of 23 to 35 players, these clubs are now fully professional in every department. That level of preparation allows teams to learn quickly." The key difference, however, remains in execution. "In the final third, European clubs are simply more clinical," Wenger said. Klinsmann agreed, saying the real divide lies in mentality. "Experience is also a big part of quality," he said. "When is a club like Pachuca or Monterrey (of Mexico) playing in a tournament like this?" Drawing on his time as U.S. national coach, Klinsmann stressed the importance of testing players outside their comfort zones. "That's why I always said, 'Get us into Copa America. Get us into Europe'. That's the kind of competition that develops a winning mentality," he said. "If this tournament were held again next year, Pachuca would be a different team - more confident, more refined. "But they have to be more clinical. When you're in the box, it's your head that makes the decision, not just your feet. And that's the difference." With the round of 16 underway on Saturday, analysts said the knockout stages would offer a clearer picture of how much ground South American teams have made up, tactically and psychologically. "We might see very different attitudes now," Wenger said.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Fifa's Arsene Wenger promises better US pitch quality for 2026 World Cup
Football pitches in the US are not up to the standard that European clubs are used to, said Fifa global football development chief Arsene Wenger. PHOTO: AFP MIAMI - Fifa's global football development chief Arsene Wenger acknowledged that the quality of pitches hosting Club World Cup matches in the US was not good enough, but insisted it would be better when the country co-hosts the 2026 World Cup. The pitches, often very dry and sprinkled with water during cooling breaks or at halftime, have been widely criticised, mainly by coaches and players of the European teams taking part. 'I've been personally on the pitch at Orlando,' former Arsenal manager Wenger said on June 28. 'It's not at the level that the European clubs are used to because it's not perfect, but that will be rectified for the World Cup next year.' Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique raised the issue early in the expanded Club World Cup tournament. 'The ball bounces like a rabbit,' Luis Enrique said after his team's opening 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid. 'Today, for example, the field used to be artificial turf, and now it's natural grass laid over it, which means it has to be watered manually. It's a big problem for the way we play.' 'Fifa really needs to take this seriously. Not just the stadium fields but also the training pitches. If we're calling this the best club tournament in the world, it should have world‑class facilities. I can't imagine an NBA game played on a court full of holes.' REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
