Unpleasant post for the board of directors of FC Bayern Munich AG Shortly before Christmas: Criminal proceedings are underway against numerous members of the Bavarian leadership.
The main customs office in Munich is investigating on behalf of the Munich I public prosecutor’s office. It concerns the suspicion of withholding and embezzlement of wages – violations of the minimum wage law at the youth performance center, the FC Bayern Campus.
Current and ex-board members are affected
The entire board of directors is affected by the proceedings, including Oliver Kahn (CEO), Hasan Salihamidzic (CEO Sport), the deputy CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and the longest-serving member of the board, Andreas Jung.
In addition, the former CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Jörg Wacker are accused. That emerges from a letter from the main customs office that the WDR– Background magazine Sport inside is available.
FC Bayern parted ways with Wacker in October. Rummenigge had given up his post to Kahn that summer. The accused are suspected of having known about possible illegal dumping wages on campus.
Witness interviews in January
A spokesman for the main customs office in Munich told Sport inside on Monday (December 27th, 2021) that in the case of stock corporations, the investigations would always be directed against the board of directors, and that the guilt of individual persons would only be clarified in detail in the course of the proceedings. This also explains why campus director Jochen Sauer is not listed.
Sport inside reported on the scheduled investigation against FC Bayern on November 23rd. At that time, however, the public prosecutor’s office in Munich I “for tactical reasons“and also the main customs office in Munich with reference to tax secrecy have not yet given any information.
On Monday, the public prosecutor’s office announced that customs had to do its job first before it could provide information itself. This work now obviously begins at the end of January with numerous witness interviews.
“Suspicion of withholding, embezzlement of wages“
The allegations made in the letter against “responsible agents of FC Bayern München AG“embrace the suspicion”withholding and misappropriating wages“(that would be a criminal offense according to § 266a StGB) and”incorrect keeping of hourly records, failure to grant the minimum wage“(an administrative offense according to § 111 SGB IV or § 21 Minimum Wage Act).
Here the Bundesliga club is accused of possibly having made incorrect reports about social security. FC Bayern did not comment on the allegations when asked.
Reporting on minimum wage violations was the trigger
The trigger for the investigation was the multiple reports by Sport inside on alleged minimum wage violations in the youth performance centers of Bundesliga clubs. After FC Augsburg, FC Bayern was also quickly targeted by the authorities.
At Sport inside, youth coaches from both clubs had spoken in detail about payment practices, unpaid overtime and, allegedly, forged timesheets when instructed to do so.