FRANKFURT, Germany (Reuters) – Former German Football Association (DFB) presidents Theo Zwanziger and Wolfgang Nielsbach went on trial on Monday, along with their former general secretary, on tax evasion charges related to Germany's 2006 World Cup. It was put on.
The case, which has dragged on through the judicial system for years and also includes several other separate investigations, including one commissioned by the DFB, is centered around the 2006 World Cup. The payment was 6.7 million euros ($7.27 million). A related event that never took place.
Mr. Nielsbach, who resigned as DFB chairman in 2015 in the wake of the incident, his predecessor Mr. Zwanziger, and former general secretary Horst Schmidt have accused the DFB of inaccuracies filed in 2006 to help it avoid millions of dollars in tax payments. He is accused of arranging the preparation of tax returns.
Mr. Nielsbach, Mr. Zwanziger and Mr. Schmidt deny any wrongdoing.
Tax returns included 6.7 million euros paid by the DFB to world football governing body FIFA for the 2006 tournament, but the funds were actually used for other purposes and could be offset in taxes. It should not have been done, prosecutors said.
“I have always wanted the truth to be on the table, and that can only happen through a public process,” Zwanziger told reporters upon arriving in court.
“I feel confident going into this process because I am confident that I have not committed any tax evasion and that is the issue at hand here.”
The payments were suspected of being used as a slush fund to buy votes in support of Germany's bid to host the 2006 Games, sparking multiple investigations over the past few years.
A 2016 DFB-commissioned investigation said the amount was the repayment of a loan from former Adidas chairman Robert Louis-Dreyfus through FIFA.
In 2017, the German Tax Office ordered DFB to pay over $20 million in additional taxes related to 2006.
The trial is expected to last several months.
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(Reporting by Carolus Grauman; Editing by Christian Radnedge)