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.
