![]() In June 2014, he was banned by world football's governing body for 90 days from any football-related activity. This is the second time in 18 months Beckenbauer has fallen offside with FIFA. "And I'm sure that no other member of the bidding committee did either." "I have not sent anyone money to acquire votes for the awarding of the 2006 World Cup to Germany," said Beckenbauer, while the DFB also strenuously denied the claims. Germany beat South Africa with 12 votes to 11 after New Zealand's Charles Dempsey abstained in the final ballot. The magazine alleged the German Football Association (DFB) had bought the votes of four Asian members of FIFA's 24-strong executive committee to secure the 2006 World Cup. The story turned sour last weekend when Der Spiegel broke the cash-for-votes scandal story. He later became head of the organising committee and the successful tournament is still nostalgically referred to in Germany as the 'die Sommermaerchen' - 'The summer fairytale'. Off the field, Beckenbauer led Germany's successful bid to host the 2006 World Cup. He made 424 appearances in the Bundesliga, scoring 44 goals, including a 13-year spell for Bayern, before joining Hamburg and New York Cosmos, where he finished his career in 1983. He captained West Germany to the 1974 World Cup title on home soil when they beat the Netherlands 2-1 in the Munich final, then managed the team which beat Argentina 1-0 in Rome to lift the trophy at Italia 1990.īeckenbauer was named European footballer of the year in both 19. ![]() In his playing days, Beckenbauer was a commanding figure on the pitch, whether playing for Bayern Munich or West Germany. One of the lowest-scoring World Cups, with 2.21 goals per match.Ī then-record 16 red cards were handed out in the tournament.Having turned 70 last month, Beckenbauer still enjoys legendary status in his homeland, but the latest FIFA investigation threatens to tarnish his reputation. Lowsĭefensive tactics saw lots of back-passing and goalkeepers holding up the ball to waste time. Highsįranz Beckenbauer became the first person to win a World Cup as captain and manager.Ĭameroon became the first African country to qualify for the quarterfinals. West Germany became the third country (after Brazil and Italy) to win the World Cup for the third time. They eventually scored the game’s only goal from the penalty spot after 85 minutes. The first red card of a World Cup final was shown to Argentina’s Pedro Monzon in the 65th minute.ĭespite facing a weakened side for the rest of the match, West Germany failed to threaten the Argentinian goal. The final failed to live up to the occasion as both teams deployed defensive tactics. ![]() They then went on to beat Romania and qualified for the knockouts.Īrgentina advanced as well but as one of the third-placed teams.Ĭameroon and the Republic of Ireland were the shock qualifiers for the quarterfinals, as Brazil, the Netherlands and Uruguay were knocked out.īoth semifinals were decided on penalty shootouts, resulting in heartbreak and tears for Italy (4-3 loss to Argentina) and England (4-3 loss to West Germany). The tournament kicked off with one of the biggest upsets in its history: Cameroon, playing only their second World Cup, beat defending champions Argentina 1-0. Previous finalists France failed to qualify. Italy were one of the favourites to win the tournament, along with Argentina, England and West Germany.Ĭosta Rica, the Republic of Ireland and the United Arab Emirates made their debut, while Egypt and the United States made their return after a long absence. On the political and geographical side, it would be the last World Cup for West Germany as the country would unify with East Germany a few months later and play all subsequent tournaments as Germany. The USSR also played its last World Cup as a union before its dissolution the following year. The 1990 World Cup was a first for many, as well as the last. Golden boot: Salvatore Schillaci (Italy) Background
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