As his response to the 90-day provisional ban sanctioned by FIFA for his purported refusal to cooperate in an ongoing investigation on the 2022 Qatar World Cup bid, German football legend Franz Beckenbauer has reportedly decided to cancel his trip to Brazil, media has reported on Saturday.
The 68 year-old, who is a legend for winning the World Cup both as a player and as a football manager, said that he will not feel welcome in the host country after being imposed of the suspension over his supposed refusal to speak with investigators, NDTV Sports said.
"I won't be going to Brazil. I am basing that decision on the fact I will not be welcomed by FIFA," Beckenbauer, who is also the honorary president of Bayern Munich, said.
NDTV Sports said Beckenbauer's original plans was to go to Brazil for the semi-finals of this year's World Cup, undoubtedly because of his home country's national team attempting to secure the golden trophy again.
Beckenbauer's involvement with the contested Qatar bid controversy was due to the fact that he was a member of the FIFA executive board in 2010 when the votes were cast to award Russia the 2018 finals and Qatar the 2022 edition. Beckenbauer reportedly did not want to cooperate with former US federal prosecutor and now chief invetigator Michael Garcia, who is leading the team looking into the matter of whether the bribery allegations surrounding Qatar's winning bid has any truth into it.
Deputy chairman Alan Sullivan QC of the independent FIFA Ethics Committee's adjudicatory chamber said that under the ban, the football legend will not be allowed access to any of the 12 stadiums in Brazil.
In a statement, he said, "Franz Beckenbauer cannot participate in any football-related activity, which includes, amongst other things, being invited to attend or attending on a private basis any football match in any capacity."
