German feds raid Bayern Munich in Usmanov money laundering case

German police have reportedly raided Bayern Munich’s headquarters. Bild is claiming that police blitzed the Bundesliga club in search of certain financial documents. The raid, however, does not necessarily involve a case surrounding the German club. Instead, authorities are building a money laundering case against Alisher Usmanov.

The German outlet reached out to the prosecutor’s office to obtain clarity on the subject matter. “Our authority is not conducting any investigations or fines against FC Bayern Munich or those responsible or members of the club,” stated the authorities.

Usmanov financially linked with Everton

However, police are currently looking into Usmanov. The Uzbek-Russian oligarch was sanctioned by British authorities because of his personal ties with Russian president Vladimir Putin. Anyone directly linked with Putin saw their assets frozen following Russian’s invasion of Ukraine. Usmanov’s financial involvement with Premier League club Everton is clear.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Everton released an official statement on Usmanov’s involvement in the club. The Merseyside club confirmed that they would suspend sponsorship agreements with three businesses linked with Usmanov.

Along with these sponsorship deals, Usmanov also has personal ties with current Everton owner Farhad Moshiri. There have even been allegations that Moshiri was merely a front and Usmanov actually owned the club. However, Usmanov’s personal spokesperson has denied these claims.

“Mr. Moshiri did at times turn to Mr. Usmanov for advice given the latter’s significant experience in football, but [Moshiri] made all the decisions,” claimed the spokesperson.

Oligarch also has ties to Bayern’s honorary president

Whilst never having hid his business links with Everton, the recent Usmanov-linked raid on Bayern Munich’s offices raises eyebrows. The German club’s honorary president Uli Hoeneß is apparently familiar with the oligarch. According to the aforementioned news source, the duo own properties in the same area of Germany. Usmanov was also given VIP tickets to Champions League matches at the Allianz Arena in the past as well.

This week’s raid is an attempt to gain more information about Usmanov’s alleged money laundering. The oligarch’s yacht was confiscated and his three German villas were all searched in 2022. Despite owning and living in Bavaria, Usmanov apparently never filed a German tax form.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Russian Look