Editing 2006 FIFA World Cup (section)

==Host selection==
{{main|FIFA World Cup hosts}}
The vote to choose the hosts of the 2006 tournament was held in July 2000 in [[Zürich]], Switzerland. It involved four bidding nations after Brazil had withdrawn three days earlier: Germany, South Africa, England and Morocco.<ref>{{cite news|title=FIFA acknowledges Brazil's withdrawal from 2006 World Cup race |url=https://www.fifa.com/newscentre/news/newsid=73290.html |publisher=FIFA |date=4 July 2000 |access-date=29 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423021200/http://www.fifa.com/newscentre/news/newsid%3D73290.html |archive-date=23 April 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Three rounds of voting were required, each round eliminating the nation with the fewest votes. The first two rounds were held on 6 July 2000, and the final round was held on 7 July 2000, which Germany won over South Africa.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:.5em;"
|-
!colspan="4" style="text-align:center"| Voting results<ref>{{cite news|title=FIFA World Cup 2006 : Results of First Two Rounds of Voting |url=https://www.fifa.com/newscentre/news/newsid=73319.html |publisher=FIFA |date=6 July 2000 |access-date=29 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423021211/http://www.fifa.com/newscentre/news/newsid%3D73319.html |archive-date=23 April 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
!Country
!Round 1
!Round 2
!Round 3
|-
| Germany || '''10''' || '''11''' || '''12'''
|-
| South Africa || 6 || '''11''' || 11
|-
| England || 5 || 2 || –
|-
| Morocco || 3 || – || –
|}

===Bribery and corruption allegations===
Accusations of bribery and corruption had marred the success of Germany's bid from the very beginning. On the very day of the vote, a hoax bribery affair was made public, leading to calls for a re-vote.<ref>{{cite news|title=Call for World Cup re-vote |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/in_depth/2000/2006_world_cup_decision/822645.stm |work=BBC Sport |date=7 July 2000 |access-date=25 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922203158/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/in_depth/2000/2006_world_cup_decision/822645.stm |archive-date=22 September 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> On the night before the vote, German satirical magazine ''[[Titanic (magazine)|Titanic]]'' sent letters to FIFA representatives, offering joke gifts like [[cuckoo clocks]] and [[Black Forest ham]] in exchange for their vote for Germany. Oceania delegate [[Charlie Dempsey]], who had initially backed England, had then been instructed to support South Africa following England's elimination. He abstained, citing "intolerable pressure" on the eve of the vote.<ref>{{cite news|title=Legal threat over World Cup prank |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/sport/2000/2006_world_cup_decision/824885.stm |work=BBC News |date=8 July 2000 |access-date=25 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040518225400/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/sport/2000/2006_world_cup_decision/824885.stm |archive-date=18 May 2004 |url-status=live }}</ref> Had Dempsey voted as originally instructed, the vote would have resulted with a 12–12 tie, and FIFA president [[Sepp Blatter]], who favoured the South African bid,<ref>{{cite news |title=S. Africa Confident of Blatter's Support to Host 2006 World Cup |url=http://english.people.com.cn/english/200001/19/eng20000119S121.html |publisher=People's Daily Online |date=19 January 2000 |access-date=25 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090910064542/http://english.people.com.cn/english/200001/19/eng20000119S121.html |archive-date=10 September 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> would have had to cast the deciding vote.<ref>{{cite news|title=Voting procedure for 2006 FIFA World Cup decision |url=https://www.fifa.com/newscentre/news/newsid=73308.html |publisher=FIFA |date=5 July 2000 |access-date=29 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423021206/http://www.fifa.com/newscentre/news/newsid%3D73308.html |archive-date=23 April 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

More irregularities surfaced soon after, including, in the months leading up to the decision, the sudden interest of German politicians and major businesses in the four Asian countries whose delegates were decisive for the vote.<ref name=sueddeutsche>{{cite news|last1=Aumüller|first1=Johannes|last2=Kistner|first2=Thomas|title=Geplatzte Gala|work=Süddeutsche Zeitung|date=17 October 2015|page=41|language=de}}</ref> Just a week before the vote, the German government under [[Chancellor of Germany|Chancellor]] [[Gerhard Schröder]] lifted their arms embargo on [[Saudi Arabia]] and agreed to send grenade launchers to the country. [[Daimler AG|DaimlerChrysler]] invested several hundred million euros in [[Hyundai Motor Group|Hyundai]], where one of the sons of the company's founder was a member of FIFA's executive committee. Both [[Volkswagen]] and [[Bayer]] announced investments in [[Thailand]] and [[South Korea]], whose respective delegates [[Worawi Makudi]] and [[Chung Mong-joon]] were possible voters for Germany.<ref name=sueddeutsche/><ref name=zeit>{{cite news|last1=Fritsch|first1=Oliver|title=Die verkauften WM-Turniere|url=http://www.zeit.de/sport/2015-06/chuck-blazer-fifa-fussball-weltmeisterschaft-2022|newspaper=Die Zeit|access-date=18 October 2015|language=de|date=4 June 2015|archive-date=30 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930135353/http://www.zeit.de/sport/2015-06/chuck-blazer-fifa-fussball-weltmeisterschaft-2022|url-status=live}}</ref> Makudi additionally received a payment by a company of German media mogul [[Leo Kirch]], who also paid millions for usually worthless TV rights for friendly matches of the [[Germany national football team|Germany team]] and [[FC Bayern Munich]].<ref name=sueddeutsche/><ref name=zeit/>

On 16 October 2015, German news magazine ''[[Der Spiegel]]'' alleged that a slush fund with money from then-[[Adidas]] CEO [[Robert Louis-Dreyfus]] was used to influence the vote of four Asian members of the FIFA executive committee.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=World Cup Scandal: Germany Appears to Have Bought Right to Host 2006 Tournament|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/documents-indicate-slush-fund-used-in-german-world-cup-bid-a-1058212.html|magazine=Der Spiegel|access-date=18 October 2015|date=16 October 2015|archive-date=8 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108113301/https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/documents-indicate-slush-fund-used-in-german-world-cup-bid-a-1058212.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The sum of €6.7&nbsp;million was later demanded back by Dreyfus. In order to retrieve the money, the [[2006 FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee|Organising Committee]] paid an equivalent sum to FIFA, allegedly as a German share for the cost of a closing ceremony, which never materialized.<ref name=sueddeutsche/> [[Wolfgang Niersbach]], president of the [[German Football Association]] (DFB), denied the allegations on 17 October 2015, saying that "the World Cup was not bought" and that he could "absolutely and categorically rule out the existence of a slush fund". The DFB announced they would consider seeking legal action against Der Spiegel.<ref>{{cite news|title=Niersbach: "Die WM war nicht gekauft"|url=https://www.kicker.de/niersbach_die-wm-war-nicht-gekauft-637330/artikel|newspaper=kicker|access-date=18 October 2015|language=de|date=17 October 2015|archive-date=18 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018180000/http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/wm/startseite/637330/artikel_niersbach_die-wm-war-nicht-gekauft.html|url-status=live}}</ref> During a press conference on 22 October 2015, Niersbach repeated his stance, emphasising that the €6.7&nbsp;million was used in 2002 to secure a subsidy by FIFA.<ref>{{cite news|title=WM-Vergabe 2006: Niersbachs Erklärung zur 6,7-Millionen-Euro-Zahlung|url=http://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/wolfgang-niersbach-gibt-erklaerung-zur-6-7-millionen-euro-zahlung-ab-a-1059114.html|work=Spiegel Online|access-date=23 October 2015|language=de|date=22 October 2015|archive-date=23 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023081900/http://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/wolfgang-niersbach-gibt-erklaerung-zur-6-7-millionen-euro-zahlung-ab-a-1059114.html|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Niersbach, the payment had been agreed upon during a meeting between [[Franz Beckenbauer]] and FIFA president Blatter, with the money being provided by Dreyfus. On the same day, FIFA contradicted Niersbach's statement, saying: "By our current state of knowledge, no such payment of 10&nbsp;million francs was registered by FIFA in 2002."<ref>{{cite web|title=FIFA widerspricht DFB-Präsident Niersbach|url=https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/niersbach-dfb-107.html|publisher=Tagesschau|access-date=23 October 2015|language=de|date=22 October 2015|archive-date=22 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022202636/http://www.tagesschau.de/inland/niersbach-dfb-107.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The following day, former DFB president [[Theo Zwanziger]] publicly accused Niersbach of lying, saying: "It is evident that there was a slush fund for the German World Cup application". According to Zwanziger, the €6.7&nbsp;million went to [[Mohamed Bin Hammam]], who at the time was supporting Blatter's campaign for president against [[Issa Hayatou]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Ex-DFB-Chef Zwanziger: "Es gab eine schwarze Kasse"|url=https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/niersbach-dfb-109.html|publisher=Tagesschau|access-date=23 October 2015|language=de|date=23 October 2015|archive-date=24 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024151616/http://www.tagesschau.de/inland/niersbach-dfb-109.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 22 March 2016, it was announced that the [[FIFA Ethics Committee]] was opening proceedings into the bid.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fifa opens investigation into Franz Beckenbauer and Germany's 2006 World Cup bid|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/mar/22/fifa-franz-beckenbauer-germany-2006-world-cup|access-date=22 March 2016|newspaper=The Guardian|date=22 March 2016|archive-date=22 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322110622/http://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/mar/22/fifa-franz-beckenbauer-germany-2006-world-cup|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Fifa investigates 2006 World Cup award|work=BBC Sport|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35873480|access-date=22 March 2016|language=en|date=22 March 2016|archive-date=22 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322135920/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35873480|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=FIFA watchdog opens formal proceedings over 2006 German World Cup|newspaper=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-fifa-germany-idUSKCN0WO1UP|access-date=22 March 2016|language=en|date=22 March 2016|archive-date=22 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322150416/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-fifa-germany-idUSKCN0WO1UP|url-status=live}}</ref>