SAO PAULO, Brazil – Former Germany great Franz Beckenbauer was banned from football for 90 days by FIFA on Friday for not co-operating with an investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.
FIFA said the suspension was requested by ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia, making Beckenbauer the first person to be punished as a result of the case.
READ MORE: FIFA head Blatter lashes out at corruption claims
Beckenbauer refused “repeated requests for his assistance, including requests that he provide information during an in-person interview or in response to written questions provided in both English and German,” FIFA said in a statement.
It was unclear whether the FIFA suspension would prevent Beckenbauer – who won the World Cup as both a player and coach – from attending the tournament in Brazil.
FIFA suspensions relating to “any football-related activity, at any level” typically include attending matches and meeting other football officials.
Beckenbauer was a voting member of FIFA’s executive committee in December 2010 when it chose Qatar, and Russia as 2018 World Cup host. He said last week that he rejected two attempts by Garcia to speak with him, claiming he was no longer active in football.
Beckenbauer still holds top-level positions in world football, after serving on FIFA’s board from 2007-11. He joined after leading Germany’s organization of the 2006 World Cup.
He is an adviser to FIFA’s football committee and a global ambassador for German champion Bayern Munich.
READ MORE: Complete World Cup coverage
Garcia, a former U.S. Attorney has said that next month he will deliver a dossier on the World Cup case, which FIFA critics hope will order a redo of the votes.
Beckenbauer was named in reports this past weekend by The Sunday Times, which has alleged widespread corruption linked to Qatari official Mohamed bin Hammam and the 2022 bidding campaign.
The newspaper said Beckenbauer took paid consultancies in 2011 with German firms seeking contracts for World Cup related projects in the gas-rich emirate.
Like most FIFA board members, Beckenbauer has not publicly revealed who he voted for. Qatar defeated the United States 14-8 in the fourth round of voting,
FIFA President Sepp Blatter has previously said German and French business and political interests influenced the FIFA vote.
FIFA said its independent ethics judge, Munich-based Joachim Eckert, was not involved in the decision to suspend Beckenbauer, who faces further sanctions.
“The case is now the subject of formal investigation proceedings being conducted by investigatory chamber member Vanessa Allard as chief of the investigation,” FIFA said.
Garcia could still seek to interview Beckenbauer, though he closed the investigation phase of his probe on Monday.
On Wednesday, Garcia addressed FIFA’s 209 member countries in Sao Paulo and stressed that football officials are obligated to co-operate with his work.
“And it makes real penalties available to all those who fail,” the American lawyer said then.
Comments