A regional court in the German city of Heidelberg has sentenced a man to three years and nine months in prison for attempting to blackmail German billionaire and football financier Dietmar Hopp.

Ralf M. had threatened to kill Hopp's wife and two sons if not paid a sum of 5.5 million euros ($8.1 million). The 43-year-old haulier was arrested in September before any money transfer could take place. He gave financial difficulties as a reason for the attempted blackmail.

The man, who hails from a small town just outside the southwestern city of Stuttgart, pleaded guilty to all charges against him, which the court said it took into account in his sentencing. Public prosecutors had been seeking a sentence of five years and three months.

Hopp was a co-founder of software giant SAP, but has more recently turned his attention to the sports industry. In the early '90s, he began investing in the football club of his youth, 1899 Hoffenheim, previously a fifth-division team, helping the side rise to the country's premier league, the Bundesliga.

The 69-year-old became the object of much scorn in the national league when Hoffenheim began displacing more traditional powerhouses of the game in their first season in the country's top flight.

Death threats have been leveled at Hopp on several occasions, and last year the German Football Association began cracking down on fans abusing the billionaire at away games.

dfm/dpa/AP

Editor: Susan Houlton