adminFORMER Germany great Franz Beckenbauer has been banned from all football activities for 90 days for not co-operating with an investigation into Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid.Fifa says the 90-day provisional ban was requested by ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia.
Beckenbauer was a voting member of Fifa’s executive committee in December 2010 when it chose Qatar, and Russia as 2018 World Cup host.
He said last week that he rejected two attempts by Garcia to speak with him. Beckenbauer won the World Cup as both a player and coach is an advisor to Fifa’s football committee and a global ambassador for German champion Bayern Munich.
“The apparent breach relates to Mr Beckenbauer’s failure to cooperate with an Ethics Committee investigation despite repeated requests for his assistance,” Fifa said in a statement.
“The case is now the subject of formal investigation proceedings being conducted by investigatory chamber member Vanessa Allard as chief of the investigation.”
In an exclusive interview with Sportsmail’s Jeff Powell earlier this month, Beckenbauer raised worrying doubts about the efficiency of the probe into the Qatar 2022 World Cup bribery allegations.
The German icon confirmed he was contacted by the commission led by lawyer Michael Garcia, who is due to report after the World Cup in Brazil.
Beckenbauer said: “They sent me a questionnaire but it was in English and it contained some complex legal issues. So I asked them to re-send it to me in German.
“I have heard nothing from them since.”
The Kaiser is a good English speaker but added: “I wasn’t comfortable about responding to such technical questions in anything but German.”
Those most actively opposed to Qatar being awarded the 2022 finals may not have welcomed one answer Beckenbauer would have given.
Of the allegations that disgraced former Fifa executive Mohammad Bin Hamman paid cash for votes, Beckenbauer said: “As usual the ballot was secret.
“I am not revealing which country I voted should host those Finals. Nor do I know who Bin Hamman voted for. We worked together on the Fifa executive for four years and I regarded him as a friend.
“But I can assure that I was never approached about my vote, nor was I ever offered anything.” — Sportsmail.co.uk.
Online Reporter