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                    Germany Ensnared in Latest FIFA Scandal

   by VOA News

   German police raided the headquarters of the country's football
   federation and the homes of three current and former high-ranking
   officials Tuesday over possible wrongdoing in connection with Germany's
   hosting of the 2006 World Cup.

   About 50 officers took part in the raids on the federation's Frankfurt
   offices and the homes of president Wolfgang Niersback, his predecessor
   Theo Zwanziger and former general secretary Horst Schmidt.

   A story in Der Spiegel magazine last month alleged the federation used
   a $7.4 million payment to FIFA, the sport's world governing body, to
   buy enough votes to secure its bid to host the 2006 World Cup.
   Prosecutors say the federation improperly declared the payment on its
   tax returns, so it could avoid paying higher taxes.

   Zwanziger has accused the federation of creating a slush fund in its
   vote buying scheme. Niersback says the money was used to secure a large
   grant from FIFA. The federation has launched an internal investigation
   into the payment.

   Germany won FIFA's 2000 selection vote for the 2006 World Cup, beating
   out South African by one vote.

   ''Many scandals
   FIFA has been embroiled in scandal after 14 officials were arrested in
   Zurich in May and charged in the United States with nearly 50 counts of
   corruption, including racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering.
   Swiss officials have also opened a separate criminal investigation
   involving FIFA's selection of Russia and Qatar to host the World Cup
   tournaments in 2018 and 2022 respectively.

   FIFA's ethics committee suspended embattled President Sepp Blatter and
   Michel Platini, the head of the Union of European Football Association
   and Blatter's potential successor, for 90 days last month, after Swiss
   prosecutors opened a criminal investigation against Blatter involving a
   $2 million payment to Platini in 2011.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/germany-ensnared-in-latest-fifa-scandal/3034386.html