In a statement released by his agent, German football great Franz Beckenbauer is set to answer all allegations pertaining to the investigation regarding Qatar's winning bid for the hosting rights to the 2022 World Cup soon, Bangkok Post reported.
The statement read, "Franz Beckenbauer on Saturday wrote to FIFA and said he will respond to the inquiry of the ethics commission no later than June 27."
The statement also said that the football icon is intending to answer all of the allegations in his native language, which is German. This was his initial argument on the charge that he refused to speak to investigators based on the fact that he is unable to grasp legal jargon in English. His agent also said that Beckenbauer is expecting that the ban imposed on him would be lifted immediately.
Beckenbauer has been reported to have already cancelled his plans to go to Brazil to watch the semifinals of the tournament, citing that he would not feel welcome in the country after he was banned by FIFA.
The 68 year-old has hit a sour note with FIFA when he reportedly declined to cooperate with Michael Garcia, Bangkok Post said. Garcia currently leads the investigation on whether Qatari officials did pay out bribes in order to secure a win during the December 2010 voting for the hosting rights of the tournament. Beckenbauer was a member of the FIFA executive board at that time when the votes were cast for Qatar and Russia to win the hosting rights for the 2022 and 2018 World Cup tournaments.
In an interview last week with German newspaper Bild, Beckenbauer claimed that Garcia refused to provide him the questions in the language he can understand. He added, "I was ready to answer all pertinent questions, but they sent them to me in a legal English that I could not understand in such a complex case. People with a memory will remember that I declared just after (the vote) that the choice of Qatar surprised me. And I was one of the first to say that a World Cup over there was impossible and that it would have to be played in winter."
