--- description: Der Spiegel says it has documents to suggest that Germany paid off officials to get the 2006 World Cup. title: FIFA Took Bribes Over Germany's 2006 World Cup, Report Says image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt136d90ec707e0cdc/698868b5196cf4a71f038904/fifa-world-cup.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Sports](/section/sports/) ## Sports Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [FIFA](/tag/fifa/) ## FIFA Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # FIFA Took Bribes Over Germany's 2006 World Cup Bid, Report Says  by [Denver Nicks](/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 16, 2015 9:05 PM CUT  Fireworks explode above the stadium during the medal ceremony after the World Cup 2006 final soccer match between Italy and France in Berlin, on July 9, 2006. Fireworks explode above the stadium during the medal ceremony after the World Cup 2006 final soccer match between Italy and France in Berlin, on July 9, 2006.Wolfgang Rattay—Reuters  by [Denver Nicks](/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 16, 2015 9:05 PM CUT The German committee responsible for organizing the country’s bid for the 2006 World Cup [created](http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/documents-indicate-slush-fund-used-in-german-world-cup-bid-a-1058212.html "undefined") a slush fund it used to bribe FIFA officials, according to a new report. The German magazine _Der Spiegel_ reports, citing internal documents, that the German bidding committee paid to secure the votes of four Asian members of the 24-person FIFA Executive Committee, the global organizing entity that oversees international soccer. Before the bid was given to Germany in July 2000, the report continues, then-CEO of Adidas Robert Louis-Dreyfus secretly bankrolled the slush fund with a loan of 10.3 million Swiss Francs, or roughly six million U.S. dollars. FIFA has said it would review the allegations, the latest charges of corruption for an organization which has already seen several senior officials indicted on corruption charges by both the U.S. Justice Department and Swiss officials. \[[_Der Spiegel_](http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/documents-indicate-slush-fund-used-in-german-world-cup-bid-a-1058212.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4077126/germany-fifa-bribery-scandal/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4077126/germany-fifa-bribery-scandal/"},"headline":"FIFA Took Bribes Over Germany's 2006 World Cup Bid, Report Says","datePublished":"2015-10-16T21:05:37.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T11:52:33.258Z","description":"The graft-plagued organization says it will review claims in Der Spiegel magazine","url":"https://time.com/4077126/germany-fifa-bribery-scandal/","keywords":["FIFA","Sports topic","Football","Germany","Soccer","german"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt136d90ec707e0cdc/698868b5196cf4a71f038904/fifa-world-cup.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Denver Nicks","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt136d90ec707e0cdc/698868b5196cf4a71f038904/fifa-world-cup.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Fireworks explode above the stadium during the medal ceremony after the World Cup 2006 final soccer match between Italy and France in Berlin","caption":"Fireworks explode above the stadium during the medal ceremony after the World Cup 2006 final soccer match between Italy and France in Berlin July 9, 2006. FIFA RESTRICTION - NO MOBILE USE REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay (GERMANY) - RTR1FCO6","creditText":"Wolfgang Rattay—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/fifa/","name":"FIFA"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4077126/germany-fifa-bribery-scandal/","name":"FIFA Took Bribes Over Germany's 2006 World Cup Bid, Report Says"}}]}] ```