Former Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness was released from prison on parole on Monday midway through a three-and-a-half-year sentence for tax evasion, the Bavarian Ministry of Justice has confirmed.
Hoeness was released the night before the scheduled February 29 date to spare the 64-year-old the attention of the media.
The 1974 World Cup-winner was convicted in March 2014 and sent to prison the following June having evaded €28.5million in taxes a figure finally acknowledged by his legal team after Hoeness was initially charged with attempting to evade €3.5m.
It remains to be seen if he returns to Bayern and, if so, in what capacity.
Having made over 300 appearances as a player for the club, he served as sporting director for 30 years before assuming the role of president in 2009.
He has worked in Bayern s youth department since early 2015 on day release.
