Franz Beckenbauer under pressure to explain 2006 World Cup scandal

Frankfurt: Legend Franz Beckenbauer faces mounting pressure to explain his part in Germany's 2006 FIFA World Cup scandal after the emergence of a document directly linked to him.

The 2006 bid's leading figure of Germany was linked to disgraced former FIFA official Jack Warner in reports published Tuesday, reports Xinhua.

One day after German football federation president Wolfgang Niersbach resigned, two German newspapers linked Beckenbauer to Warner, who was then a member of the FIFA executive committee.

"We appeal to him (Beckenbauer) to bring himself more closely into the explanation of what happened," said Rainer Koch, one of the two caretaker presidents after Niersbach's resignation.

Koch confirmed on Tuesday that Beckenbauer signed a contract promising Warner "various services" four days before the 2000 vote on the host of the 2006 World Cup. Germany won by one vote over South Africa.

Warner, who stepped down four years ago, has been suspended for life by the FIFA ethics committee and faces corruption charges in the United States, which is seeking his extradition from Trinidad and Tobago.

"We'll have to look very closely into the circumstances of how the 2006 World Cup was awarded," Koch said.

Until know, German federation officials have been more concerned about a suspect payment to FIFA of 6.7 million euros ($7.22 million) in connection with the 2006 World Cup, which is also the target of a tax evasion investigation by German authorities.