Case dropped against former German FA chief over 2006 World Cup

A tax evasion case linked to the awarding of the 2006 World Cup against former German FA (DFB) president Theo Zwanziger was dropped by a court in Frankfurt on Wednesday. 

Zwanziger was the third and final defendant to have his case scrapped in the decade-long legal battle. 

The 79-year-old agreed to make a payment of 10,000 euros ($11,300) to a charity in exchange for the case being dropped, without a verdict awarded against him.

The case relates to a payment of 6.7 million euros for a 2006 World Cup-related event which never took place. 

The payment led to allegations against the DFB and German football icon Franz Beckenbauer, who died in 2024, that the money was used to buy votes to host the 2006 tournament.

Zwanziger and former DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach and general secretary Horst Schmidt were accused of submitting false tax returns. 

Each of the three defendants has now been cleared, meaning the DFB is now the main defendant in the case, which is ongoing.

In a statement released Wednesday, Zwanziger said the judgement proves he is "not a corrupt person who deceives others", adding "today, it's over".

Germany's successful hosting of the 2006 World Cup, often referred to as "Das Sommermaerchen" or Summer Fairytale, subsequently became a nightmare for organisers after accusations emerged of financial wrongdoing.

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