Reinhard Grindel, another former president of the DFB, testified in the “Summer Fairy Tale” trial. He repeated his guess as to who the ominous 6.7 million euros actually went to and gave the judge tips on who else she should invite.
All living presidents of the German Football Association (DFB) are involved in the so-called “Summer Fairy Tale” process, at least indirectly. Theo Zwanziger (term 2006 to 2012) is a defendant before the Frankfurt am Main regional court. He is accused of tax evasion in a particularly serious case. Zwanziger, 79 years old, protests his innocence, and because he wants the court to document it, he is still sitting in the dock.
Wolfgang Niersbach, Zwanziger’s successor, in office until 2015, has it behind him. He paid the 25,000 euros he was charged. The proceedings against him are therefore over without guilt or innocence being established. Niersbach is scheduled to be heard as a witness on one of the next days of the trial.
Former DFB President Wolfgang Niersbach
Fritz Keller (term 2019 to 2021) was heard in December 2024, and he contributed little to the question that hangs over the proceedings: what was the purpose of a payment of 6.7 million euros that the late Franz Beckenbauer received from the late French Entrepreneur Robert Louis-Dreyfus had borrowed and which ended up in a detour with the corrupt Qatari Mohamed bin Hammam?
Grindel testifies about the possible use of the 6.7 million euros
The presiding judge Eva-Marie Distel absolutely wants to clarify this question – this became clear from the first day of the hearing in March 2024. She hopes that every additional witness, usually a prominent one, will provide clarification or at least useful information. On Monday (January 13th, 2025) she was completely satisfied. Reinhard Grindel testified, and he received praise that Judge Distel has rarely given out in this trial: “Fortunately, you don’t suffer from amnesia.”
Judge Eva-Marie Distel at the Frankfurt am Main Regional Court
Grindel was President of the DFB from 2016 to 2019 and previously worked as treasurer for the association. He was part of the inner circle when, in October 2015, a report in the news magazine “Der Spiegel” about the ominous payment cast a shadow on the summer fairy tale of the 2006 World Cup.
What Grindel said he had already told many times, or it had become known through media research, or it was in investigative reports that had been commissioned into the case for millions of euros.
Above all, Grindel reiterated the suspicion he has had for years: Bin Hammam used the money to pay others to re-elect Sepp Blatter as president of the world association FIFA in 2002. Beckenbauer also once said, at least Grindel heard it from a very good source: “He (Blatter) was elected with my money.” Franz Beckenbauer denied having said that.
Mohamed Bin Hammam (l.) and Sepp Blatter
Grindel suggests other witnesses: Niersbach, Linsi, Blatter, Radmann
In contrast to the German football legend, bin Hammam is still alive. Grindel would have liked to speak to him himself, but all attempts failed. Gianni Infantino, Blatter’s successor as FIFA president, also did not respond to repeated requests to arrange a meeting. Grindel added that he was “not naïve.” He knows that bin Hammam probably wouldn’t have enlightened him either.
But he is at peace with himself because he at least tried, just as he commissioned the Freshfields report, which at least revealed that the millions ended up in Qatar. Reinhard Grindel gave the judge a few other names from which clarification might be expected.
He named Niersbach, who, like long-time vice president and legendary mastermind Rainer Koch, had previously known that “Spiegel” would publish research that would hit the DFB to the core. Urs Linsi, FIFA’s former finance chief and later general secretary, also has intimate knowledge, as do Blatter, Beckenbauer’s intimate Fedor Radmann and Günter Netzer.
According to Grindel, he admires him for his skills as a footballer, but he also earned so much money from the DFB through his marketing agency Infront that he would have hoped to be involved in the educational work.
The “Summer Fairy Tale Process”
The two former DFB presidents Theo Zwanziger and Wolfgang Niersbach as well as the former general secretary Horst R. Schmidt were initially accused in the trial. They were accused of tax evasion in a particularly serious case. Now only Zwanziger is still in the dock. The proceedings against Niersbach were discontinued in favor of a non-profit organization in return for a payment of 25,000 euros. The case against Schmidt was separated from the trial for health reasons.
A payment of 6.7 million euros was declared as a business expense in the DFB’s tax return for 2006. This would have resulted in a lower tax liability. However, the prosecution assumes that the reason for the payment (subsidy for a FIFA gala that never took place) was intended to conceal the true purpose. It does not recognize the profit-reducing expense as such and therefore assumes tax evasion. The defendants protest their innocence. There is an accusation that the money was used to buy votes in the awarding of the 2006 World Cup.
The verdict will also be interesting for Bernd Neuendorf and the DFB
Grindel attributed some of his knowledge to conversations with Horst R. Schmidt, who initially sat in the dock with Niersbach and Zwanziger. However, the proceedings against the former treasurer and vice-president of the DFB were separated for health reasons.
Grindel was not asked whether Schmidt and/or Zwanziger had told him anything about the accounting of the 6.7 million euros as a business expense. This is the core of the process. Grindel also avoided the question of what Zwanziger knew about the true use of the money. It may have been fine with him, because Grindel still maintains a good relationship with Zwanziger today, in contrast to Niersbach, who never wanted to see him in his inner circle.
Negotiations will continue in Frankfurt on January 30th. Then Marcus Höfl, Franz Beckenbauer’s long-time manager, and Niersbach will testify as witnesses. Negotiations are scheduled until June.
DFB President Bernd Neuendorf
The verdict is also interesting for Bernd Neuendorf, the current president of the DFB. He is indirectly affected by the process because the verdict could have significant financial consequences for the association. The DFB had its non-profit status revoked because of the alleged incorrect booking. He therefore had to pay 22 million euros in back taxes. An acquittal of Zwanziger would at least give him the chance to sue for repayment, including interest.