GENEVA (AP) — FIFA’s ethics judges closed a bribery investigation against German great Franz Beckenbauer because a statute of limitations expired, soccer’s world governing body said Thursday.
Beckenbauer and other German officials who helped organize the 2006 World Cup had been subject to a FIFA ethics investigation opened in 2016. There was no time limitation on bribery prosecutions in FIFA’s ethics code until it amended the rules in 2018 to add a 10-year limit.
Cases against Theo Zwanziger, who once replaced Beckenbauer on the FIFA executive committee member, and Horst Schmidt were also closed, FIFA said Thursday.