As the number of World Cup voters publicly accused of wrongdoing reached 17, German soccer great Franz Beckenbauer and FIFA Vice President Angel Maria Villar are waiting to discover if they will be found guilty of obstructing the investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests.
Five years after the 2018 tournament was awarded to Russia and the Middle East was given its first World Cup in Qatar in 2022, the shock waves from the landmark dual decision by a much-discredited FIFA executive committee still reverberate throughout the soccer world.
Although the Russian and Qatari successes, along with the conduct of rival bids, have been tainted by five years of allegations, FIFA's ethics judge ruled last year there was not enough evidence to prove that the decisions were corrupt.