Bayern Munich, the German sports giant and one of the world’s top football clubs, has been compelled to reimburse approximately 200,000 euros ($216,560) for breaching minimum wage regulations over a five-year span, as revealed by Bavarian customs authorities on Thursday.
In addition to the wage repayment, the club is required to settle outstanding social security contributions amounting to around 45,000 euros ($48,700).
The investigation conducted concluded that Bayern had been underpaying their employees from 2016 to 2021.
According to the Munich customs office’s official statement, Bayern Munich had employed individuals, primarily at their youth training center, on limited-hours contracts; however, it was discovered that the actual level of employment greatly exceeded the contractual limitations. As a result, the club had not been meeting the minimum wage requirement at its youth training center.
In response to the incident, Bayern Munich released a press statement on Thursday, expressing their apologies and clarifying that withholding employees’ rightful wages was never their intention. The club emphasized its full cooperation with the investigation and highlighted the measures it has implemented to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
“The club has actively participated throughout the process, and now that the procedure is concluded,” stated Thomas Meister, Munich customs spokesman, in an interview with German news service SID, an AFP subsidiary.
Boasting an annual turnover surpassing 650 million euros ($700 million), Bayern Munich stands as Germany’s largest sports club and the world’s third highest-earning football club, trailing only Real Madrid and Barcelona. In the 2022-23 season, Bayern Munich’s men’s team clinched their 11th consecutive Bundesliga title, joining their successful female counterparts who have secured two of the last three Frauen Bundesliga titles.