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Franz Beckenbauer: Germany 2006 bid 'went to the limits'

SHANGHAI, CHINA - JULY 20:  Josep Guardiola, head coach
Image: Franz Beckenbauer says German bid 'went to the limits'

German football great Franz Beckenbauer has admitted the bidding committee he chaired for the 2006 World Cup "went to the limits" to obtain the finals.

In his first televised interview since magazine Der Spiegel made cash-for-votes allegations in mid-October, Beckenbauer said: "What are the limits?" when asked if lines had been crossed.

"There was no ethics commission, we could contact members of the (FIFA) executive committee directly. We always went to the limit. It was another time," Beckenbauer told Sky in Germany.

At the centre of the scandal is a near £5m payment, which is alleged to have been used to purchase the votes of four members of FIFA's executive committee in 2000 - days before Germany narrowly won the right to host the 2006 finals.

However, Beckenbauer has insisted the money was intended "only to obtain a 250m euro grant" from FIFA.

On Tuesday, the 70-year-old was due to speak to the law firm tasked by the German Football Association (DFB) with auditing the 2006 bid.

Beckenbauer has been at the centre of the scandal since the DFB admitted the existence of a draft agreement, signed by him, which offered a lucrative friendly against Germany, but no cash.

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It was made with former CONCACAF president Jack Warner - who is banned for life by FIFA - but it remains unclear whether it was ever used.

Jack Warner
Image: Jack Warner has been banned for life by FIFA

The German insists there is "no Warner-Beckenbauer document, but an agreement between the DFB and the CONCACAF".

But Beckenbauer admits the date of the agreement - five days before Germany was awarded the World Cup in 2000 - is an issue.

"The only thing that bothers me is the date of July 2. We could think that it's linked to the corruption," he admitted, while adding: "If there was a slush fund or attempted corruption, I would have said something about it."

He repeated comments he made to Munich-based Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper last week when he admitted signing numerous documents linked to the 2006 World Cup bid without first reading them.

"When I have confidence in someone, I sign, without reading," he said. "I have a clear conscience."

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