Wolfgang Niersbach resigns as German FA president amid claims that bribes were paid in order to host FIFA 2006 World Cup
- DFB boss Wolfgang Niersbach quits amid 2006 World Cup bribes claims
- The German FA allegedly made a secret payment of £4.6m to FIFA in 2005
- On Monday, Niersbach endured a crisis meeting from the football officials and presidents of the 16 regional associations which make up the DFB
- Documents and hard drives have been seized from Niersbach's home
German Football Association (DFB) boss Wolfgang Niersbach has quit his role amid ongoing claims that brides were paid in a bid to land the 2006 World Cup.
Earlier this month the corruption crisis surrounding the tournament intensified after tax authorities launched raids on the country's football federation and private residences.
And after the disclosure in German magazine Der Spiegel last October, that the DFB made a secret payment of €6.7million (£4.6m) to FIFA in 2005, Niersbach is now resigning, telling reporters that he's taking 'political responsibility' for the affair.
German Football Association (DFB) president Wolfgang Niersbach has quit his role at the federation's helm
Niersbach (right) made a statement to the media at the DFB headquarters in Frankfurt on Monday
On Monday, Niersbach endured a crisis meeting from the football officials and presidents of the 16 regional associations which make up the German FA over the allegations.
Documents and hard drives were seized from the federations headquarters in Frankfurt last week and the homes of Niersbach, a UEFA and FIFA executive committee member, and his predecessor Theo Zwanziger, were searched
At the time an internal audit failed to find any trace of the €6.7m in the DFB's tax documents and Frankfurt's senior public prosecutor Nadja Niesen said in a statement: 'Fifty officials from the Frankfurt tax investigators as well as the prosecuting authorities carried out searches of the offices of the DFB as well as the homes of suspects.
'Prosecutors in Frankfurt have started an investigation on suspicion of serious tax evasion connected to the awarding of the 2006 World Cup and the transfer of €6.7m from the DFB to FIFA.'
Niersbach endured a crisis meeting from Germany's 16 regional football officials and presidents