Franz Beckenbauer has denied accusations that votes for Germany's successful 2006 World Cup winning bid were bought.
The 70-year-old was the head of the triumphant organising committee that beat South Africa by 12 votes to 11 in 2000 to host the tournament.
Beckenbauer, who captained his country to World Cup joy as a player, does however admit that a payment made to FIFA in return for a financial grant was a "mistake" on his behalf.
"In order to get a subsidy from FIFA, those involved went ahead with a proposal from the FIFA finance commission that in today's eyes should have been rejected," he said in a statement. "I, as president of the then-organising committee bear the responsibility of this mistake."
Worawi Makudi, Jeffrey Webb, Ricardo Teixeira, Amos Adamu, Eugenio Figueredo and Nicolas Leoz are among those still under investigation.
