Infront is aware of "The Netzer Connection" article which appeared in the German news magazine DER SPIEGEL on 19 June 2020. The report is clearly based on an interim report delivered to the DFB by investigation agency Esecon, a report which Infront does not currently have access to. The allegations it contained were therefore presented to Infront by the publication without context and without supporting documents.
Esecon's reported allegations are not only highly construed but are above all unsubstantiated through any evidence. Infront has serious doubts about the investigation's methods, including the reversal of the burden of proof, the use of dubious sources of information which include falsified documents, and the motivations of the investigation agency. These are purely allegations for which Esecon provides no reliable evidence. An extensive investigation commissioned by Infront and carried out with great effort by external lawyers reaches completely different conclusions.
The DFB and Infront both agreed clear next steps during a bilateral meeting last week. This includes confidentiality from both parties and means we will not comment further at this time.
Infront has also initiated legal action against DER SPIEGEL for disseminating unsubstantiated claims against Infront in the article.
