Beckenbauer’s
reputation is
in tatters
Franz Beckenbauer is the greatest
German footballer of all time: captain
and then coach of World Cup-winning
teams in 1974 and 1990, creator of
the attacking sweeper role and an
international on 103 occasions.
He later put that reputation to
triumphant service as leader of his
country’s bid to host the 2006 World
Cup, and then as president of the
organising committee of the finals.
But, like Icarus, he flew too close
to the sun.
He was a compromised member of
the corruption-scarred FIFA executive
committee which awarded the 2018
and 2022 World Cups to Russia and
Qatar. The wax melted, the wings
dropped off, and “Der Kaiser” tumbled
back down to earth.
In recent weeks Beckenbauer’s
shadow has clouded the legal skies
over the Swiss Federal Court as it
prepared to tackle a 2006 World
Cup scandal involving four powerfulfigures in the international game, a
mystery loan, a slush fund and a
gala that never was. That was until
the coronavirus brought proceedings
to an abrupt halt and offered Theo
Zwanziger, Horst R Schmidt, Wolfgang
Niersbach and Urs Linsi innocent light
at the end of their tunnel. A statute of
limitation on such fraud cases expires
on April 27 and there is no way this
trial can conclude by then.
This is far from the only FIFA-linked
file in the purview of the Swiss courts.
Around 24 further cases bobble along,
most arising out of the 2018 and
2022 World Cup awards, and the
future of them all is now in question- for reasons other than coronavirus.
The latest case was sparked by
events during the 2006 World Cup
bidding campaign. Along the way,
Beckenbauer had floated the concept
of a gala opening ceremony separate
from the formal opening match.
Nothing more was heard of the idea
until after Germany had won the
ballot. Asked about the opening gala,
Beckenbauer dismissed the project as
having been judged too costly. And
that was the end of the matter. Except
it was not.
The 2006 finals were a huge
success in which Beckenbauer,
DFB president Zwanziger, general-
secretary Schmidt, communications
chief Niersbach and FIFA general-
secretary Linsi could all bask.
Years later, in autumn 2015, aKeir
RADNEDGE
THE INSIDERTHE WORLD THIS MONTH
damning letter emerged from a dusty
old DFB file. This revealed that in April
2000 Beckenbauer, on behalf of the
bid committee, had obtained a loan
of 10.3million Swiss francs from the
French-Swiss businessman Robert
Louis-Dreyfus. The latter was then
CEO of Adidas, whose long-time
ambassadors included Beckenbauer.
Niersbach claimed later that the
monies had been needed to meet
initial organisational costs and had
been set against funds due from FIFA.
The German media suspected a
slush fund, particularly when it alter
emerged that a similar sum had ended
up in the hands of Mohamed bin
Hammam, the infamous but influential
Asian president.
When Louis-Dreyfus demanded
his money back it was repaid not
directly by the DFB but by FIFA.
Niersbach would excuse this as
repayment of a cultural event subsidy
originally assigned for that non-Like Icarus, Beckenbauer flew too close to the
sun. He was a compromised member of thecorruption-scarred FIFA executive committee
Tarnished...Franz
Beckenbauer