Germany's DFB soccer association HQ searched in 2024 Euros ticket probe

BERLIN, July 1 (Reuters) - German investigators have carried out nationwide searches, including at the offices of the DFB soccer association, as part of a probe into suspected ticket and hospitality violations at the 2024 European Championship, officials said on Wednesday.

The raids were prompted by investigations into a German national and a French national among others, according to the Bild newspaper, which first reported the story.

The case involves hotel invitations and several thousand tickets that may have been illegally allocated to preferred guests prior to the 2024 Euros, which were hosted across 10 German cities, Bild said.

The DFB said a search had been carried out at the DFB Campus on Wednesday, together with searches at several municipal administrative offices, in connection with a probe into the potential granting of undue advantages.

"The investigation concerns neither the DFB as an organisation nor any individual employees or officials," it said in an emailed statement. "Rather, the DFB is involved in these proceedings solely as a witness and has pledged full cooperation with the authorities."

A joint statement by prosecutors in Bochum and the North Rhine-Westphalia state criminal office said searches were being conducted in several locations in Germany on Wednesday.

The German national, at the time a municipal employee from Gelsenkirchen, one of the host cities, was suspected to have received tickets, travel and hotel benefits worth €2,400 ($2,736), Bild said.

"A football ticket is not part of one's salary. Anyone in the public sector who has their hand out will get a visit from us," Herbert Reul, the Interior Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Gelsenkirchen is located, told Bild.

"Major events like the European Football Championship, in particular, rely on public trust — trust in the sport and in the authorities that make it possible. We will not allow that trust to be damaged by a few invitations and tickets."

The statement by prosecutors and police also said the investigation concerned "unauthorised advantages, including a visit to an international football match".

UEFA did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Prosecutors in Bochum declined further comment.

The news came in a week of soul-searching in Germany over the team's shock exit to underdogs Paraguay in the World Cup, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz also sparking a backlash for praising the team on social media despite the defeat.