DFB raids host cities over Euro 2024 allowances

German authorities have launched a nationwide raid over suspected improper allowances linked to Euro 2024. Police said in a statement.

More than 150 officers from the criminal police office of the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia searched the headquarters of the German Football Association (DFB) as well as city halls in several host cities.

Investigators are looking into whether officials received unauthorized benefits, including match tickets, travel and hotel stays, potentially amounting to bribery.

The case focuses on two suspects, a 66-year-old German and a 46-year-old French national, linked to Euro 2024 GmbH, the tournament’s organizing body.

Authorities are investigating whether host city officials were offered special access to tickets, including for high-profile matches such as the Spain-France semi-final in Munich.

Cities including Gelsenkirchen, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich, as well as several companies, were searched.

Interior Minister Herbert Rule said: “Football tickets are not part of the salary. Anyone in the public service who puts up his hand can expect to see us.”

The leaders of Germany’s ruling coalition are gathering today for a crucial meeting to push forward major reforms ahead of their summer holidays.

Centre-right Christian Democrat (CDU) Chancellor Friedrich Merz is hosting a coalition committee at the Chancellery with a “major package” of measures on the agenda.

Talks are expected to focus on income tax reform, pensions, labor market flexibility and cutting bureaucracy, with the aim of agreeing on concrete steps or at least a timeline.

Income tax reform is considered one of the biggest hurdles. The coalition aims to provide tax relief primarily to low- and middle-income earners starting next year. The key question is how to finance the measures.

Participants include Finance Minister Lars Klingbiel and Labor Minister Barbel Baas, both from the center-left Social Democrats. Markus Söder, leader of the Christian Social Union, an ally of the CDU in Bavaria, is also going to attend.

Given the scope of the issues, the meeting may extend beyond a day.

A court in the Bavarian capital Munich is investigating whether individual border checks between Germany and Austria are illegal.

The case was brought by a passenger who regularly travels to Innsbruck and who was questioned by federal police on a train in June last year.

His bag was searched after he refused to show his identity documents. Now he is seeking a ruling that the check was invalid.

The plaintiffs argue that these measures violate EU law, saying the systematic checks violate the Schengen Agreement, which has abolished internal border controls.

As with the Schengen Area, countries can temporarily resume investigations if there is a serious threat to public order or internal security. Berlin has repeatedly stepped up these investigations.

good day From DW’s newsroom in Bonn.

Join us as a court in Munich investigates whether individual border checks between Germany and Austria are illegal.

The case was brought by a traveler to the Bavarian capital who regularly travels across the border.

In Berlin, Germany’s coalition leaders are meeting at the Chancellery today to hammer out one last major reform before the summer break.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants tax cuts, pensions, labor rules and movement on red tape — but the toughest question is still how to pay for it all.

Stay tuned here to know more about these stories and what Germany is talking about.