Beckenbauer wants corruption report made public

Former FIFA executive committee member Franz Beckenbauer has called for the report into 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids to be made public.

FIFA announced that Russia would hold the 2018 event, with Qatar to act as hosts four years later, back in 2010.

The decision was met with criticism in some quarters, and allegations of corruption within global football’s governing body were made before FIFA’s chief ethics investigator Michael Garcia subsequently led a probe into the matter.

After briefly being suspended from football-related activity for failing to co-operate with the report, West Germany legend Beckenbauer has since complied and has now called for further transparency.

The 69-year-old, who won the World Cup as a player in 1974 and then as coach in 1990, has also expressed his support for playing the 2022 event in winter, to avoid the searing temperatures in the summer months in Qatar.

“I think they will find an opportunity to find a good result,” Beckenbauer said. “But if you ask me personally, for me it’s no difference if the report is published or not, it’s just my opinion as a spectator.

“If you don’t have anything to hide you can just bare the report. If FIFA wants to publish this report they should do it, I can’t find anything to be upset about.

“I won’t say anything about the vote because it was secret; I will stick to the agreement that was made at this time, also my decision was made under these circumstances. I took part of it, that’s right, and I was also surprised that Qatar won.

“Qatar’s application was very good, like all others – there were no big differences. There were some reasons why USA, Australia, Korea or Japan were not chosen while Qatar was. You don’t have to ask just me but my former colleagues.

“I was in Qatar sometimes and you can’t play football in the summer there although they have some mechanics to cool down the stadium to play under pleasant temperature.

“Technically they could do it, but back there I asked myself if it’s worth the energy. If you play in winter you don’t need to cool down the stadium. The circumstances in winter are perfect. I would suggest to stage the World Cup in winter.

“All I know is that Garcia provided his report. Now the ethical review committee has to evaluate this one. I don’t know when they will be ready. We have to wait how the committee will decide.”