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Swiss prosecutors investigate Beckenbauer over German 2006 World Cup bid

Xinhua, September 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

Swiss federal prosecutors are investigating soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer and three other German soccer officials for fraud and money laundering in connection with the awarding of the 2006 World Cup to Germany.

"The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has opened criminal proceedings in connection with the German Football Association (DFB). The suspects were members of the executive board of the organizing committee for the 2006 World Cup in Germany," it said in a statement on Thursday.

"The proceedings relate in particular to allegations of fraud, criminal mismanagement, money laundering and misappropriation," added the statement.

It named them as Beckenbauer, Horst Rudolf Schmidt, Theo Zwanziger and Wolfgang Niersbach.

Niersbach and Zwanziger are both former German Football Association presidents and Schmidt a former general secretary. All four were members of Germany's World Cup organizing committee, with Beckenbauer its president. Endit