High-profile FIFA case falls victim to the coronavirus
Zidane and Materazzi: the iconic moment from World Cup 2006, immortalized in a statue in Qatar, host of the 2022 World Cup.
Keystone / Str
The trial of four former top football officials over suspicious payments linked to the 2006 World Cup in Germany has been suspended again, meaning a verdict will not be reached.
The suspension of the trial by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court means a verdict is impossible before next Monday – the day on which the statute of limitations on the allegations expires.
The proceedings, which centre on a €6.7 million payment made 15 years ago in the lead-up to the World Cup in Germany, was suspended already in March due to Covid-19 disruption.
The four defendants – former members of Germany’s World Cup organizing committee, as well as a Swiss former top FIFA official – are mostly all at least 70 years old, meaning they fall into the “at-risk” category for the current epidemic. German football legend Franz Beckenbauer, who was also linked to the payment but whose case is separate, had also been due to give evidence.
The Swiss Office of the Attorney General (OAG) claimed that the 2005 payment was transferred from the German football federation to FIFA, where it ended up in the account of Mohammed bin Hammam, who at the time sat on the finance committee of football’s world governing body.
While the motive given by the defendants for the payment was that it was to fund a World Cup-related gala, prosecutors say it was destined to induce bin Hammam to release a larger sum of €250 million that the German federation needed to finance the World Cup.
The trial is one of some 25 that have been pursued involving FIFA since 2015 by the Attorney General’s Office. In February, in another high-profile case, it formally brought charges for bribery against former FIFA secretary-general Jérôme Valcke, and boss of the Paris Saint-Germain club, Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
Judges said on Tuesday that due to the suspension of the trial, defendants will be entitled to compensation for legal fees; details on this have not yet been decided.
More
More
Swiss Politics
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Switzerland could produce up to 5Mt of emissions annually by 2050
This content was published on
Two to five megatonnes of CO2 equivalents per year: this is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that Switzerland is still expected to produce annually in 2050, a new study shows.
US tariffs putting 100,000 jobs at risk in Switzerland
This content was published on
US tariffs of 39% on Swiss imports will directly affect 100,000 jobs, mainly in the watchmaking, machinery, metals, and food industries, economiesuisse warns.
This content was published on
Switzerland has released CHF4 million (nearly $5 million) to help Sudan, which has been severely affected by famine and cholera.
Switzerland rejects new Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory
This content was published on
Switzerland says it rejects the announced construction of thousands of housing units in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank.
Larry Finck and André Hoffmann named interim co-chairs of WEF board
This content was published on
The WEF also revealed an investigation commissioned by the board has cleared its founder Klaus Schwab and his wife of accusations made by anonymous whistleblowers.
Vice-president of German parliament in favour of Switzerland joining EU
This content was published on
The vice-president of the Bundestag says his country should support closer ties between Switzerland and the European Union given the customs conflict with the United States.
Lindt & Sprüngli reportedly considering shifting Easter bunny production to US
This content was published on
Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli could relocate the production of its gold-wrapped Easter bunnies to the US in order to circumvent the import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
Swiss petition launched against curbing 30km/h speed limit
This content was published on
The Traffic Club of Switzerland (TCS) has submitted a petition to the Federal Chancellery, challenging the 30km/h speed limit on local roads.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss prosecutor indicts German officials over 2006 World Cup fraud
This content was published on
Tuesday’s indictment by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) names Horst Rudolf Schmidt, Theo Zwanziger and Wolfgang Niersbach, former members of the German Football Association; and Urs Linsi, who once held the second most powerful position at FIFA. Schmidt, Zwanziger and Linsi are accused of fraud, while Niersbach is suspected of complicity in the…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.