According to German media, detectives raided the federation’s headquarters in Frankfurt last week – as well as Mr Nierbach’s private residence in the town of Dreieich. Niersbach however appeared relaxed as he walked into the DFB headquarters on Monday morning, hours ahead of the board meeting.
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German football federation (DFB) president Wolfgang Niersbach has resigned over a payment made to football world governing body FIFA linked to the 2006 World Cup.
Frankfurt prosecutors are investigating a payment of 6.7 million euros ($7.22 million) the federation made to FIFA in connection with the 2006 tournament.
Niersbach, an executive committee member at Federation Internationale de Football Association and European soccer’s ruling body UEFA, had been at the DFB for a quarter of a century, climbing up from spokesman to general secretary and eventually president in 2012, succeeding Theo Zwanziger.
In a personal statement, Niersbach said: “I have worked for all these years at all times not only with great passion, but always accurately, trustfully and correctly”.
“As president of the organising committee at that time, I take responsibility for this mistake”, he said.
Rumours of who might succeed him are already circulating, with Reinhard Rauball, president of the German Football League (DFL), and Oliver Bierhoff, manager of the German national team, mentioned among the likely candidates.
“In order to protect this DFB and the office, it is with a heavy heart that I am resigning as DFB president”.
“It is all the more depressing and painful for me to be confronted with transactions in which I was not involved and for which many questions also remain open for me”, he said. I make it clear once again, unequivocally, that I had no knowledge of the background of the cash flows.
It follows reports that a secret €6.7m (£4.9m) fund was set up to secure votes for Germany to host the 2006 World Cup.
Despite ongoing investigations by both German authorities and FIFA’s Ethics Committee, Niersbach still enjoys support in the DFB, but he needs to come up with convincing answers.
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Mr Zwanziger has also said that Germany used a slush fund to buy votes for its successful bid to stage the 2006 World Cup, an allegation denied by Mr Niersbach.
