Franz Beckenbauer's trial for corruption charges ends without verdict

Franz Beckenbauer's five-year-long trial for corruption charges has been ended without a verdict after a statute of limitations expired.

The trial, which related to allegations of Beckenbauer being involved as the head of organising committee in two transactions made to FIFA when the 2006 World Cup was awarded to Germany, had to be suspended due to coronavirus.

The World Cup-winning player and coach was accused of paying Qatari former FIFA exec Mohamed bin Hammam £8.4m before the 2006 World Cup in April 2005, with the second payment being made on April 27, 2005.

Beckenbauer headed the 2006 World Cup organising committee and at the time Bin Hammam was a member of the FIFA Executive Committee and the FIFA Finance Committee.

In Switzerland, the maximum time in which criminal proceedings for allegations of fraud and assistance to fraud can be initiated is 15 years, which means the courts no longer have jurisdiction in Beckenbauer's case.

Swiss federal prosecutors had filed fraud charges against three former senior German football organisers and a former FIFA official over a suspect payment linked to the same World Cup in 2006 but those cases have now ended.

Former president of the German FA, Theo Zwanziger, Horst R Schmidt (former German FA treasurer), Wolfgang Niersbach (executive vice president and press officer of the 2006 World Cup Organising Committee) and Urs Linsi (former FIFA general secretary) have all had their cases ended with 'no verdict' decisions.