BERLIN, July 1 (Reuters) - German investigators launched nationwide searches on Wednesday, including at ⁠the offices of the DFB soccer association, as part of a probe ‌into suspected ticket and hospitality violations at the 2024 European Championship, the Bild newspaper reported.

The raids were prompted by investigations into a German national and a French national among others, Bild said.

A joint statement by ​prosecutors in Bochum and the North Rhine-Westphalia state ⁠criminal office said searches were being ⁠conducted in several locations in Germany, without mentioning the DFB.

The case involves hotel invitations ⁠and ‌several thousand tickets that may have been illegally allocated to preferred guests prior to the 2024 Euros, which were hosted across 10 German cities, Bild ⁠said.

The German national, at the time a municipal employee from ​Gelsenkirchen, one of the ‌host cities, was suspected to have received tickets, travel and hotel benefits ⁠worth €2,400 ($2,736), Bild said.

"A ​football ticket is not part of one's salary. Anyone in the public sector who has their hand out will get a visit from us," Herbert Reul, the Interior Minister of North ⁠Rhine-Westphalia, where Gelsenkirchen is located, told Bild.

"Major events ​like the European Football Championship, in particular, rely on public trust — trust in the sport and in the authorities that make it possible. We will not allow that trust to ⁠be damaged by a few invitations and tickets."

The statement by prosecutors and police also said the investigation concerned "unauthorised advantages, including a visit to an international football match".

The DFB was not immediately available for comment. UEFA did not immediately respond to an emailed ​request for comment.

Prosecutors in Bochum declined further comment.

The news came ⁠in a week of soul-searching in Germany over the team's shock exit to underdogs ​Paraguay in the World Cup, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz ‌also sparking a backlash for praising the ​team on social media despite the defeat.

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(Reporting by Kirsti Knolle; Writing by Matthias Williams, Editing by Linda Pasquini, Kate Mayberry and Clare Fallon)