Tax scandal puts stain on Bayern's march to glory

Having survived a serious car accident and walked away from a plane crash, Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has again shown his ability to overcome adversity, this time in the face of the tax scandal which had threatened to engulf him.

At a meeting on Monday of Bayern Munich's supervisory board, his offer to stand down as president and board chairman of the Champions League finalists, while he is investigated for tax evasion, was rejected.

It was effectively a vote of confidence after the 61-year-old was arrested last month, then bailed for €5 million (HK$50.8 million), as part of an ongoing investigation into unpaid tax on a Swiss account in his name.

With Bayern bidding to become the first German club to win the treble of European, league and cup titles, keeping Hoeness at the helm is sure to attract more controversy.

The 1974 World Cup winner became an election-year lightning rod in a debate on tax sinners since news broke on April 20 that he had admitted to stashing millions of euros in a Swiss bank account.

Chancellor Angela Merkel summed up the nation's feelings when she said she was "disappointed" in Hoeness, a public figure who had often called on Fifa president Sepp Blatter to do more against corruption.