A prestigious German handball championship trophy, initially feared stolen and destroyed, has been recovered from an unlikely location: the winning team's own storage facility.

The mystery surrounding the historic silverware concluded Monday when Fuechse Berlin, Germany's reigning men's handball champions, announced the trophy's discovery in a basement storage area within their facility. The large silver dish had vanished from the club's offices last November, triggering a four-month investigation.

Club officials theorize that perpetrators initially concealed the trophy on-site with plans to retrieve it later, but ultimately abandoned the scheme due to heightened media scrutiny surrounding the disappearance.

"The perpetrators apparently determined that the risk of apprehension had escalated beyond acceptable levels," the organization stated in Monday's announcement.

The championship dish, appraised at approximately 12,000 euros ($13,900) as of 2014, carries significant historical value. Its surface bears engravings documenting decades of championship teams, making it an irreplaceable artifact of German handball heritage.

The investigation took a concerning turn in January when authorities conducting raids discovered a silver bar at multiple addresses. A prosecutor's office representative informed Sport Bild that investigators suspected the trophy had been melted down for its precious metal content. The league subsequently canceled its order for a replacement trophy, according to German news agency dpa.

Handball maintains substantial popularity throughout Germany and northern Europe, with the men's professional league commanding significant television viewership and cultural relevance in the region's sports landscape.

Despite the recovery, Fuechse Berlin will not immediately reclaim possession of their championship silverware. The trophy remains in police custody as material evidence in the ongoing investigation.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports