Germany football chief steps down after bribery allegation

Wolfgang Niersbach has stepped down as president of German Football Federation (DFB) over allegations that the country had won the right to host the football World Cup in 2006 by bribing the executive committee members of the International Football Federation (FIFA).

Announcing his resignation after an emergency meting of the DFB’s standing committee in Frankfurt, Niersbach denied any involvement in an alleged transfer of 6.7 million euros to the FIFA from a secret account of the DFB in early 2005.

As a member of the World Cup 2006 organising committee in charge of marketing, media accreditation and events organising, he had worked correctly and responsibly and he has nothing to hide, he said in a statement.

However, he is resigning to take the “political responsibility” for the charges made against Germany’s apex football body and to limit the damage to its president’s office, the statement said.