Hoeneß Resigns, Accepts Jail Sentence

In a somber statement through the Bayern München website, club president Uli Hoeneß has formally announced his resignation and has instructed his lawyers not to appeal the decision handed out Thursday afternoon.

After discussing the matter with my family I have decided to accept the judgment passed by Munich District Court (Landgericht) II regarding my tax affairs. I have instructed my legal representatives not to appeal the verdict. This corresponds to my understanding of integrity, decorum and personal responsibility. Evading tax was the biggest mistake of my life. I accept the consequences of this mistake.

Furthermore I hereby resign the offices of president of FC Bayern München e.V. and chairman of the FC Bayern München AG supervisory board with immediate effect. By doing so I wish to avert further damage to my club. FC Bayern München is my life’s work and will always remain so. I will continue to be associated with this magnificent club and its people in other ways for as long as I live.

I wish to thank from the heart my personal friends and all followers of FC Bayern München for your support.

Uli Hoeneß

Hoeneß will not have to go to jail right away, for the warrant of arrest is not valid. When the verdict is confirmed, then it is a matter of a search warrant. Hoeneß then receives a summoning to imprisonment. [Süddeutsche Zeitung]

"It will still require some weeks before he will go to jail," said the spokeswoman for Munich's higher regional court, Andrea Titz.

The prosecution could also appeal the verdict themselves, a plausible scenario considering the request for a five and a half year sentence in their closing statement.

"We will decide at the beginning of next week [whether to appeal]," said public prosecution office spokesman Ken Heidenreich.

The supervisory board of the club unanimously voted Herbert Hainer, CEO of Adidas-Group, as the interim chairman of the supervisory board. The board also elected Bayern senior vice president Karl Hopfner to the executive committee of the supervisory board.

Hainer gave his thoughts to Hoeneß's resignation on the club website.

"Uli Hoeneß has always devoted his leadership qualities, great personal commitment and outstanding lifelong effort to the best interests of FC Bayern München. He is very largely responsible for FC Bayern München becoming one of the most successful and attractive clubs in the world both in sporting and financial terms. We offer him heartfelt thanks and gratitude for this."

Hoeneß leaves Bayern with two European Championships, 17 Bundesliga titles, and 11 German Cups during his front-office tenure. He also assisted in making FC Bayern München AG the second largest membership-based club in the world, as well as overseeing the transition from an association to a limited company.