ZURICH (
AFP) -
World soccer's governing body FIFA threw their full support behind the German football association (DFB) over the current refereeing scandal which has cast a shadow over the runup to the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
At its two-day meeting in Zurich under the chairmanship of President Sepp Blatter, the FIFA executive discussed the matter and decided to await the final results of all investigations currently being conducted in Germany.
But a spokesman for the FIFA Executive Committee said they were satisfied with the investigations being conducted by the DFB.
"In view of the current refereeing scandal in Germany, the FIFA Executive Committee underlined its total support for the German football association (DFB) and the German legal authorities," FIFA said in a statement.
"The committee also voiced its entire satisfaction with the investigations being conducted by the DFB and the relevant judicial authorities, and expressed its full support for and trust in referees."
The FIFA Committee for Ethics and Fair Play, chaired by Senes Erzik of Turkey, was also asked to look into the matter and related consequences and to draw up a list of steps that could be taken if necessary.
The executive also unanimously confirmed that FIFA would never involve itself in betting in any form, as previously decided at the committee's meeting in Buenos Aires on July 5, 2001.
German official Robert Hoyzer crushed the credibility of referees in January when he admitted to manipulating four matches for financial gain, something Blatter believes taking referees on full-time could help prevent.
