By Andrew Warshaw in Brazil
June 14 – While world champions Spain suffered one of their worst ever humiliations on the pitch in recent memory after being thrashed 5-1 by Holland today, off the pitch embarrassment of a different kind was heaped on Franz Beckenbauer, the best-known figure in the history of German football, when he was banned for 90 days for breaking FIFA’s Code of Ethics.
Although he has now retired and will be remembered for a magnificent career as player and manager, Der Kaiser has been thrust into the limelight for refusing to co-operate with FIFA ethics committee investigator Michael Garcia’s investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid process that has been wracked by a spate of corruption allegations.
Now 68, Beckenbauer captained West Germany to victory as hosts at the 1974 World Cup, and was coach when they next lifted the trophy in Italy 16 years later. But that counted for nothing when it came to Garcia’s remit to speak to everyone involved in the 2018 and 2022 ballot process.
Garcia has spent two years looking into what, if any, misdemeanours took place and made it clear during this week’s FIFA Congress in St Paulo that anyone who snubbed the inquiry could be punished.
And so it proved as Beckenbauer, one of the FIFA executive committee members who voted in the December 2010 ballot, was temporarily removed, a sanction that seems somewhat petulant as his footballing roles have already long expired – he is an honorary president of Bayern Munich. These days he is more likely to be found enjoying his joint pursuits of mountain walking and golf.
Beckenbauer said last week that since he was no longer a member of the FIFA exco he saw no reason to assist Garcia with his inquiries and that, in any case, he was no longer directed involved in the game. Last week he told INSIDEworldfootball: “Everybody knows whose side I was on. The German Football Association, DFB, had a gentlemen’s agreement with the Australian FA and thus I had a mandate. I had made my views clear at several occasions, and in public.”
Beckenbauer was cited numerous times by the The Sunday Times in their expose of the alleged role played in Qatar’s 2022 victory by Mohamed Bin Hammam, the country’s disgraced former head of Asian football. Qatar’s bid team categorically denies bin Hammam was in any way involved in their campaign.
Although Garcia’s findings are not due to be forwarded to the ethics committee’s adjudicatory panel until next month, FIFA said Beckenbauer ignored “repeated requests” to assist with inquiries.
An ethics committee statement read as follows:
Franz Beckenbauer was today provisionally banned from taking part in any football-related activity, at any level, for 90 days. The deputy chairman of the FIFA Ethics Committee’s adjudicatory chamber, Alan Sullivan, issued the ban at the request of the chairman of the investigatory chamber, Michael J. Garcia. The ban is effective immediately.
The decision was taken pursuant to the FIFA Code of Ethics art. 83 par. 1, on the grounds that a breach of the Code of Ethics appears to have been committed and a decision on the main issue may not be taken early enough.
The apparent breach relates to Mr Beckenbauer’s failure to cooperate with an Ethics Committee investigation despite 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.
The case is now the subject of formal investigation proceedings being conducted by investigatory chamber member Vanessa Allard as chief of the investigation.
Pursuant to art. 35 par. 2(c), the chairman of the adjudicatory chamber, Judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, withdrew from participation in this matter.
Eckert excused himself from the investigation on the grounds that he shares Beckenbauer’s German nationality. Garcia has previously done similarly with the investigation of corrupt former US exco member Chuck Blazer, but has not done this with regard to the investigation of the US bid committee for 2022.
No-one knows precisely what questions Garcia would have put to Beckenbauer who clearly felt he was exempt from the inquiry since he was no longer involved with football. But with the investigation supposedly now closed in the process of being written up, one wonders what the objective of the suspension is.
Last week Jim Boyce, one of FIFA’s vice-presidents, called for those who refused to co-operate to be named.
World football’s governing body said Beckenbauer was asked to supply answers to written questions provided in both English and German and Boyce said today it was therefore the right decision to suspend the German icon: “This very much shows once again how the FIFA reform process is working. The independent ethics committee are doing a good job and should have the full support of everybody,” said Boyce.
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