German Football Association Under Investigation Following Early World Cup Exit; Calls for Manager's Resignation Grow

German investigative authorities have launched a formal investigation into corruption allegations involving the German Football Association (DFB), just two days after the national team's early exit from the World Cup.
According to reports from outlets including the daily newspaper Bild, the North Rhine-Westphalia State Criminal Police Office and the Bochum Public Prosecutor's Office dispatched 150 investigators on July 1 (local time) to conduct raids at the DFB headquarters in Frankfurt and administrative offices in cities that hosted the 2024 UEFA European Championship (Euro 2024), such as Gelsenkirchen.
Authorities are reportedly investigating allegations that Euro 2024 GmbH, the tournament operating company jointly established by the DFB and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for the event held in Germany, distributed thousands of tickets and hotel accommodations to public officials in host cities as bribes.
The investigative authorities stated, "The investigation focuses on improper benefits, such as invitations to watch national team matches, which suspects working in host cities appear to have received from organizers."
Local media have identified a public official who worked at the Gelsenkirchen city hall in North Rhine-Westphalia and a French employee of Euro 2024 GmbH as suspects in the bribery case.
The raids conducted today included administrative offices in most of the cities that hosted Euro 2024 matches, such as Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Dortmund, and Düsseldorf.
The German national football team was eliminated from the North and Central American World Cup after losing to Paraguay in a penalty shootout during the Round of 32 on June 29, marking their third consecutive failure to reach the Round of 16.

Manager Julian Nagelsmann and some players returned home quietly without any separate welcome ceremony.
Nagelsmann is under contract until 2028, when the European Championship is scheduled to be held in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
However, figures in the football community, including former national team player Mats Hummels, have begun calling for his early dismissal.
Jürgen Klinsmann, who was dismissed as the head coach of the South Korean national team in 2024, also joined in the criticism of the football association, stating, "Everything from top to bottom needs to be reviewed and discussed again."
Renowned managers, including Jürgen Klopp (formerly of Liverpool), Thomas Tuchel (England), Sebastian Hoeneß (Stuttgart), and Pep Guardiola (formerly of Manchester City), are already being mentioned as potential successors to Nagelsmann.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.