NEWS IN BRIEF - Verdict in the Summer Fairytale trial: DFB must pay a fine
(dpa) / lyb. The German Football Association (DFB) has been found guilty in the trial concerning dubious financial payments surrounding the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Presiding Judge Eva-Marie Distler announced this on Wednesday morning at the Frankfurt Regional Court.
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The public prosecutor's office had accused the DFB of tax evasion in the amount of approximately €2.7 million and demanded a fine of €270,000. In its ruling, the court followed the prosecution's view, which had spoken of a high degree of criminal intent in the case in its closing argument earlier this week.
"In the opinion of the court, there is no doubt that the DFB evaded taxes," Distler stated in her reasoning for the verdict. The DFB was even ordered to pay a total of €130,000. The association was granted a €20,000 waiver due to the "unconstitutional length of the proceedings." However, the DFB, which, according to Distler, presented a "catastrophic image" in its investigation of the affair, must also bear the costs of the proceedings.
The verdict brings an end to the 34-day trial that began in March 2024. The entire proceedings lasted almost ten years.
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