The public prosecutor’s office in Germany has launched an investigation into suspected tax evasion at secondary ticketing platform Viagogo.
The offices of several of the country’s professional football clubs have been searched due to the investigation.
Bayern Munich, Augsburg, Nürnberg and Hamburg were among the clubs to confirm that searches had taken place, according to German news agency DPA. Second-tier club VfL Bochum said that several club representatives had given witness statements and a number of documents had been handed over to investigators.
Several of the clubs said that their staff members are not under investigation.
News of the investigation into suspected tax evasion was first reported by the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper.
A Viagogo spokesperson was reported as saying: “We are aware of an ongoing investigation into tax payments in Germany… we are cooperating with the relevant authorities and are confident that this matter will be resolved in a timely manner.”
The spokesperson added that Viagogo complies with tax legislation in every market where it operates.
It emerged earlier this week that Viagogo is being investigated by New South Wales Fair Trading, the Australian state’s consumer protection watchdog, following a spike in complaints.
Share this