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Wolfgang Niersbach resigned as president of the German Football Association (DFB) yesterday after a meeting with officials regarding his suspected part in the payment of sums to secure World Cup votes.
The DFB has recently come under investigation regarding the way in which they secured the votes for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
And allegations that they made a secret payment of €6.7 million (£4.6m) to Fifa in 2005.
An investigation is ongoing, but Niersbach has decided to step down from his position with immediate effect, while he once again stressed his innocence in a statement published on the DFB website.
“I was involved in the bid for the 2006 World Cup from day one until the final documentation of the summer fairy tale was submitted,” Niersbach wrote.
“In all of those years, I not only always worked with great passion but also always cleanly, faithfully and correctly.
“In the areas of marketing, media, accreditations and event organisation, which I worked in, I can say with a clean conscience that I have absolutely nothing to reproach myself for.
“It makes it all the more depressing and painful for me to be faced with things nine years later that I was not involved in and which have left many questions open for me.
“I remain and would like to make it clear unmistakably once again that I had absolutely no knowledge of the background of the flow of payments that are being looked into.
“It makes it even harder for me to make the decision to draw political consequences.
“Twenty-seven years at the DFB were always more than a job for me. The work in a variety of roles was something very dear to my heart.
“I love football and this association, in which I have experienced some wonderful moments and been able to work with some amazing people.”
In a statement to reporters at the Frankfurt headquarters of the DFB, the 64-year-old said he had “realised that the time had come to take responsibility for the political events surrounding the 2006 World Cup,” and added that “the position of DFB president must not be damaged.”
