In a rather strange saga, FIFA has banned Franz Beckenbauer, considered Germany's best ever player, temporarily. Beckenbauer was said to have ignored FIFA when asked to cooperate with Michael Garcia, the man looking into the World Cup bids made by Russia for 2018 and Qatar for 2022. Beckenbauer's story is much different from FIFA's though. According to him, he was sent a letter in English, a language which he is not used to speaking on a regular basis.
He politely asked for his interview to be conducted in his native German. FIFA refused and the Kaiser simply ignored the calls for cooperation as a result. He reminded everyone that he said previously that he was not sure of how Qatar would host a World Cup.
This is what the former Bayern and Germany player and coach said according to the Daily Mail:
"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.
I have absolutely nothing to hide and I am clearly also of the opinion that there must be sanctions for those responsible when corruption is proved.
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.
So I politely asked that the interview be held in German and I was refused. So I said: 'Never mind'."
The Kaiser will thus not be attending the FIFA World Cup. He will however be commentating on the matches.
