Fritz Keller, former president of the German Football Association, has raised suspicions of vote-buying related to the 2006 World Cup during the ongoing ‘Summer Fairy Tale’ trial. Judge Eva-Marie Distler criticized the investigative efforts of the DFB and the consulting firm Esecon. Keller’s testimony revealed that significant funds were spent on investigations, and he is the first of three former DFB presidents to testify, with more high-profile witnesses expected in future sessions.
Speculations Arise Over 2006 World Cup Vote-Buying
The former president of the German Football Association (DFB), Fritz Keller, has ignited discussions regarding potential vote-buying during the 2006 World Cup through his statements in the ‘Summer Fairy Tale’ trial. In this ongoing legal case, presiding judge Eva-Marie Distler has voiced her concerns about the investigative efforts led by the DFB, highlighting the work done by the consulting firm Esecon, which was hired by the DFB in 2020. Judge Distler remarked that Esecon had provided a ‘wonderfully diligent job,’ although the findings were ultimately dismissed by the law firm Freshfields and the Swiss Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
Since the scandal came to light in late 2015, the DFB has poured substantial resources into investigations conducted by Freshfields and Esecon. Keller, who served as DFB president from 2019 to 2021, revealed that the investigation incurred costs in the six-figure range. Judge Distler noted, ‘A lot of money was spent, which could have been used for taxes or other purposes.’
Keller’s Testimony and Future Witnesses
During his testimony on December 5, 2024, Keller was questioned about a conversation he had with former DFB general secretary Horst R. Schmidt on February 10, 2021. He had invited an Esecon representative to the discussion without informing Schmidt beforehand. Keller admitted, ‘I acknowledge that it was a little trick.’ However, Schmidt consented to the presence of the Esecon representative. As the conversation unfolded, Keller realized, ‘that nothing particularly new would come out of it,’ indicating that there were no significant revelations. The sole noteworthy point was Schmidt’s speculation regarding the likelihood of vote-buying. Keller could barely recall the specifics of the discussion.
At the time, Schmidt did not release the conversation protocol, citing multiple inaccuracies. Esecon was brought on board in the spring of 2020 during Keller’s presidency to delve deeper into the Summer Fairy Tale affair. Keller stated, ‘I believed it was necessary to re-examine the situation internally, as I felt that Freshfields had not covered all aspects thoroughly.’
Keller is the first of three former DFB presidents to testify, marking the start of a series of hearings featuring high-profile witnesses. Reinhard Grindel is set to appear on January 13, with Wolfgang Niersbach following on January 30. The court anticipates insights from former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Günter Netzer, both of whom are expected to testify via video in February.
The trial resumed in November after a more than two-month pause due to Judge Distler’s illness. Currently, only former DFB president Theo Zwanziger (79) remains under scrutiny. Initially, Zwanziger, along with former DFB officials Niersbach (74) and Schmidt (83), faced charges of ‘tax evasion or aiding and abetting tax evasion’ concerning corporate tax, solidarity surcharge, trade tax, and value-added tax for the year 2006, amounting to over 13.7 million euros in favor of the DFB.
The three men deny all allegations against them. Proceedings against Niersbach were dropped on August 26, just prior to the trial’s interruption, in exchange for a charitable payment of 25,000 euros. Meanwhile, Schmidt is dealing with a separate proceeding due to health concerns that had previously triggered a two-month delay in the trial.