Overview
- Presiding judge Eva-Marie Distler called the verdict “clear and without restriction” and found no indications of misconduct by DFB officials, with the state covering trial costs.
- Prosecutors also asked for an acquittal after the evidence review, closing the last criminal strand of a probe that burst into public view with a 2020 raid.
- The dispute stems from how stadium-board advertising income from 2014–2015 was classified for tax purposes, with the original allegation citing about €3.5 million in evasion.
- The DFB has paid roughly €31 million following the revocation of its charitable status for those years and is pursuing reimbursement in ongoing administrative proceedings.
- If the appeal at the tax authority fails, the federation can take the case to the Hessian Fiscal Court in Kassel, as calls grow for political scrutiny of the investigation in Hesse.