BERLIN (AP) Der Spiegel is reporting that Germany's bid to host the World Cup in 2006 was aided by bribes paid to FIFA executive committee members.
The German newsweekly says on its website that ''the awarding of the 2006 World Cup to Germany was allegedly bought'' with a slush fund set up by the German bid committee of 10.3 million Swiss francs contributed by former Adidas chief Robert Louis-Dreyfus.
Spiegel says Louis-Dreyfus loaned the money as a private citizen to the bid committee before the awarding of the tournament on July 6, 2000. It was reportedly used to secure the votes of four Asian representatives on FIFA'a 24-member executive committee.