FIFA Confirms Investigation Into Franz Beckenbauer

FIFA might want to reach out to Magnum P.I. to fill its presidential vacancy coming this February. Soccer’s governing body confirmed internal investigations into 11 officials on Wednesday.

The investigated include German soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer and suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter. FIFA divulged in a release:

The investigatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has confirmed that proceedings are ongoing against FIFA President Joseph Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini, both of whom are currently provisionally suspended. The investigation is focusing on a payment of CHF 2 million from FIFA to Michel Platini in February 2011.

The investigatory chamber will do everything in its power to ensure that a decision can be taken by the adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee, chaired by Hans-Joachim Eckert, within the 90-day suspension period (which began on 8 October 2015) of the two football officials.

The investigatory chamber also confirms the ongoing proceedings against suspended FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke related to the suspicion of misuse of expenses and other infringements of FIFA’s rules and regulations.

Formal investigation proceedings relating to the suspicion of infringements of the FIFA Code of Ethics are amongst others ongoing against Worawi Makudi, Jeffrey Webb, Ricardo Teixeira, Amos Adamu, Eugenio Figueredo and Nicolás Leoz. Proceedings relating to the two officials Ángel María Villar Llona and Franz Beckenbauer have already been passed on to the adjudicatory chamber. For procedural reasons, no further names of other parties affected by the proceedings are currently being disclosed.

Confirmation of the Beckenbauer investigation arrives on the heels of allegations that Germany bribed voting members of FIFA to host the 2006 World Cup. The charges follow similar allegations regarding World Cups scheduled for Russia and Qatar.

Beckenbauer won a World Cup as a player for West Germany in 1974 and as a manager of West Germany in 1990 before orchestrating the reunited Germany’s winning bid to host the 2006 tournament.