Slap on the wrist: German great Franz Beckenbauer warned over Fifa investigation
Ethics watchdog fines former World Cup-winning player and coach 7,000 Swiss francs for initially failing to cooperate
Fifa’s ethics watchdog on Wednesday imposed a warning and a 7,000 Swiss francs (HK$55,000) fine on German soccer great Franz Beckenbauer for stonewalling an investigation.
The former World Cup-winning player and coach is arguably Germany’s most iconic footballer and a household name who also ran the 2006 World Cup in his home country.
Mr Beckenbauer failed to cooperate with an ethics committee investigation regarding the 2018/2022 Fifa World Cup bids despite repeated requests for his assistance
“In the present case, Mr Beckenbauer failed to cooperate with an ethics committee investigation regarding the 2018/2022 Fifa World Cup bids despite repeated requests for his assistance,” the panel said.
Fifa is investigating the awarding of those tournaments as world soccer’s governing body faces the biggest graft scandal in its history which has led to the indictment of several dozen leading soccer officials in the United States.
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The present case did not look into matters related to the awarding of the 2006 World Cup to Germany, the ethics panel added.
