Serious allegations have been made against a long-time sponsor of Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen. Now the Verstappen camp has reacted.
The Dutch entrepreneur Fritz Van Eerd, who as managing director and owner with his supermarket chain Jumbo is one of the sponsors of Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen, is suspected of having laundered money on a large scale. His house was searched by the police last week, according to “Eindhoven News”.
The money laundering is said to have taken place, among other things, through financial transactions in motorsport, according to the accusation. Therefore, the alleged fraud scandal was also noticed at Verstappen, although the environment of the Red Bull pilot was now deliberately reserved.
Raymond Vermeulen, who manages the world champion’s career alongside Max’s father Jos Verstappen, told the newspaper “Algemeen Dagblad“: “Be careful here.”
Verstappen manager: Marketing will continue for the time being
The Verstappen camp is now waiting for “the facts to come to the table,” said Vermeulen. “We are in contact with Jumbo, management and marketing will continue as usual.” One should be “careful” with “all sorts of insinuations”.
Nevertheless, Vermeulen distanced his client from Van Eerd: “We have agreements with Jumbo and the supermarket is not part of the investigation. That was made clear.”
Jumbo issued a statement on Thursday evening after which Van Eerd was questioned as part of the investigation. “During his absence, the day-to-day business of Jumbo was ensured by the management team,” wrote the supermarket chain, which has developed into a billion-dollar company under the leadership of the Van Eerd family.
As a sponsor, Jumbo is very active in the world of sports. In addition to the reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen, the company also sponsors the Jumbo-Visma cycling team, various football clubs and billiard tournaments.