Monday 25 January 2016

Report: FBI investigating payment made before 2006 World Cup

BERLIN - JULY 09:  Marco Materazzi of Italy heads the ball past Goalkeeper, Fabien Barthez of France, to score a goal and level the scores at 1-1 during the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 Final match between Italy and France at the Olympic Stadium on July 9, 2006 in Berlin, Germany.  (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

BERLIN (AP) German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reports the FBI has opened a corruption investigation into the awarding of the 2006 World Cup to Germany.

SZ says it has been told by “sources close to FIFA” that the FBI is concerned about a suspect payment made by the German football federation to FIFA before the tournament was awarded.

The DFB said the money was a loan of 10 million Swiss francs – the equivalent of 6.7 million euros or $7.22 million – from then-Adidas boss Robert Louis-Dreyfus, to FIFA in 2002 to obtain a large grant for the World Cup organizing committee. It’s unclear who exactly received the money, however.

The payment is also the target of a tax evasion investigation by German authorities and Swiss authorities.

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