Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Investigations into wage dumping
Criminal proceedings are ongoing against FC Bayern bosses
With its campus, FC Bayern has a modern young talent center. The coaches there are said to have experienced extreme wage dumping in some cases. The public prosecutor’s office is investigating the bosses of the Bundesliga soccer team because of possible offenses. Kahn, Salihamidžić and Rummenigge are affected.
Trouble with the German record champions: Criminal proceedings are ongoing against several members of the FC Bayern leadership. This is reported by the WDR magazine “Sport Inside”. According to a letter available to the magazine, the main customs office in Munich is investigating on behalf of the Munich I public prosecutor’s office on suspicion of “withholding and misappropriating wages” and “incorrect keeping of hourly records, failure to grant the minimum wage”.
It concerns violations of the minimum wage law at the FC Bayern Campus, the youth performance center of the Bundesliga soccer team. According to the report, the accused are suspected of having known about illegal dumping wages on campus. In addition, the Bundesliga club is accused of possibly having made incorrect reports about social security. FC Bayern has not yet commented on the allegations.
Accused of extreme extra work
The current management level of FC Bayern with CEO Oliver Kahn, his deputy Jan-Christian Dreesen, sports director Hasan Salihamidžić and marketing director Andreas Jung is apparently affected. In addition, former responsible persons, such as Kahn’s predecessor Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Jörg Wacker, former board member for internationalization and strategy, are accused.
As a spokesman for the main customs office in Munich explained to the WDR, investigations into stock corporations, such as FC Bayern München AG, are initially always directed against the board of directors. Only in the further proceedings will the guilt of individual persons be clarified. Therefore, campus director Jochen Sauer is not listed.
Customs will probably start interviewing witnesses at the end of January. Among other things, several former youth coaches should provide information. The investigation was triggered by research by the WDR. Some trainers had stated that they worked on a 450 euro basis – but sometimes three to four times as long as the ten hours allowed per week.
FC Augsburg was also targeted because of the research. Customs already confiscated documents there in August, but no result is expected before next spring, a spokesman for the Augsburg public prosecutor told WDR.