The president of the German Football Association (DFB), Wolfgang Niersbach, has resigned over a FIFA payment that has resulted in a tax evasion investigation.
Niersbach has stepped down from his position, taking political responsibility for corruption claims relating to the 2006 World Cup, but has refused to admit to any personal guilt for a 6.7m euro (£4.9m) payment to FIFA.
The sum was allegedly used to bribe officials of world football’s governing body to vote for Germany’s 2006 World Cup bid.
Niersbach said he always worked “cleanly, confidently and correctly”.
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“I was involved in the bid for the 2006 World Cup from day one until the final documentation of the summer fairy tale was submitted,” Niersbach said.
“I would like to make it clear unmistakably once again that I had absolutely no knowledge of the background of the flow of payments that are being looked into.”
On November 3, police in Frankfurt raided the headquarters of the federation over allegations of tax evasion linked to the 2006 World Cup.
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The homes of Niersbach, his predecessor Theo Zwanziger, and former secretary general Horst Schmid were also searched.
Vice-presidents Reinhard Rauball and Rainer Koch are taking over as co-chiefs of the DFB.
German football was turned upside down after magazine Spiegel alleged last month that a 6.7m euro payment made by the DFB to FIFA was used to buy votes in order to secure the hosting of the 2006 World Cup.
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