Wolfgang Niersbach Resigns from DFB Amid Corruption Allegations

Wolfgang Niersbach has resigned from his position as president of the German Football Federation (DFB) following allegations the governing body helped "buy" the rights to host the 2006 World Cup.

Sky Sports News confirmed on Monday that Niersbach had stepped down from his role as president amid claims of corruption, while reporter Paul Kelso explained his decision came in connection with the bribery allegations:

German magazine Der Spiegel reported in October that a €6.7 million (10.3 million Swiss francs) slush fund had been created by former Adidas chief executive Robert Louis-Dreyfus to secure hosting votes for the 2006 World Cup (h/t Guardian's Owen Gibson). 

Niersbach even went so far as to deny the allegations against the DFB last month, when he insisted the tournament's hosting rights had been acquired "legally," per the Guardian's Kate Connolly:

"We secured the World Cup through fair means. The World Cup was not bought. What was a summer fairytale remains a summer fairytale. The awarding of the 2006 World Cup was completely legal. There were no slush funds, and no vote buying."

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

The payment was made directly to FIFA in 2000, but Niersbach went on to detail the €6.7 million sum was made to secure “organisational support in grants to the tune of 250 million Swiss francs."

Whether the 64-year-old was fully informed of the payment's intention is still up for debate, but his resignation serves in suggesting further details will emerge from the DFB bribery investigation.