Swiss criticise release of German world cup report
Swiss federal prosecutors investigating FIFA have said that their work could harmed by the publication of a German report into whether there was vote-buying in the awarding of the 2006 football World Cup.
A report by a law firm into 2006 World Cup corruption allegations said on Friday that it found no conclusive evidence of vote-buying by German bidders. However, the report left open the possibility that it did take place.
“We found no evidence of vote-buying but we also cannot rule it out,” said the report by Freshfields, the firm hired by the German Football Association (DFB) to investigate the allegations first made by the Der Spiegel magazine in October 2015.
Zurich-based FIFAExternal link, the world football governing body, has been mired in corruption scandals in the past few years. It is currently the subject of an investigation by Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney GeneralExternal link. The office has criticised the release of the German report.
“Publication of respective reports does increase the risk of collusion,” the office said in a short email statement to swissinfo.ch on Friday evening.
“Therefore, the Office of the Attorney General deeply regrets its publication.”
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