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Billionaire Lowy hires another Bagman
‘WE COMPLEMENT each other ideally. That was the case during the successful bid,’ said Franz Beckenbauer in the autumn of 2000, announcing that the Berchtesgaden Bagman would be one of his vice-presidents on the Organising Committee for the 2006 tournament. The Immaculate Andreas Abold was also taken aboard the committee, exercising his undoubted graphics skills.
Funny Fedor would be entrusted with marketing, tourism . . . and protocol. It was that last bit he never quite understood. The Munich Sports Mafia, Leo, funny Frank, Gunter, Absolutely charming Andreas, Franz Beckenbauer, the Bayern Munich crowd, get away with most anything they want. The only scrutiny comes from the assiduous investigations of Thomas Kistner and his colleagues at the respected Süddeutsche Zeitung based in the same city.
The other members of the Organising Committee were really, really sure that the hardworking Vice-President Mr Radmann had declared all his financial interests and so couldn’t possibly have any conflicts.
Consulting about what?
But they came to learn that funny Fedor could sometimes let things slip his mind. One morning the Süddeutsche informed them – and the rest of the world - of forgetful Fedor’s ‘consultancy’ with Leo’s lot.
Nobody knew what that meant. Consulting about what? What did they talk about? Here’s a thought. Leo still had rights to screen the World Cup. Leo wanted to jack up the number of matches fans would have to pay to watch. The funnyman was working for the Organising Committee and Leo. Was Leo buying influence through a Veep at the OC? ‘I won’t, I won’t do it anymore,’ insisted Fedor, promising never to talk to Leo again. So that was alright. And he definitely hadn’t any other consultancies.
Oh dear. Somebody was tipping off Kistner again. There it was, in the Süddeutsche, Herr Radmann was still in bed with his longtime chums at Adidas, a major FIFA sponsor. The committee was having its differences with FIFA and here was the funnyman up to his funny tricks again, playing for both teams. For the last time, the committee members demanded, is there anything you think you ought to tell us? A very serious funny Fedor told them to relax. No more conflicts. Definitely.
In his next disclosure Kistner christened the funnyman ‘the relationship artist.’ He had a serious angle on a story that was convulsing Germany. Immaculate Andreas had been paid big euros to design the theme logo for the 2006 tournament. ‘Laughing, bloated faces,’ ridiculed the Brazilian newspaper O Globo. And forgetful Fedor was still in business with Admirable Andreas. Yet another conflict of interest. That wasn’t at all funny.
Enough was enough. Interior minister Otto Schilly put his foot in Beckenbauer’s door and booted fumbling Fedor out. No more a Veep. That was the summer of 2003. If you only read FIFA’s press releases, you wouldn’t know any of this. Here’s how Herr Blatter told it:
“Vice President Fedor H. Radmann has asked the chairmanship and the advisory board to be granted the right to leave the daily operational business.”
The press release quoted the Relationship Artist:
"Personally speaking, and with our common goal at heart, I believe everyone would benefit if I were able to work for the 2006 FIFA World Cup without being a regular employee.”
Franz Beckenbauer added, "Fedor Radmann has requested to continue to support us in an advisory capacity. Our trust and belief in him is unshaken.”
Ummmm. Speak for yourself, Big Boy. And they looked after their bagman. Fedor was given a new role. They set up a ‘Cultural Foundation’ - essential to the staging of any football tournament – and the Radmann would head it and be their ‘Advisor.’ At least he wasn’t their consultant.
‘Is this a cover-up?
Herr Radmann was out but Frau Radmann – the talented Michaela - was still on board, liaising with FIFA in the accommodation department. A couple of doors down the corridor was another special wife to chat with. That was Sonja Såttele– who everybody else knows as Sonja Abold – in the Marketing Department.
Die Welt asked ‘Is this a cover-up? If they’d seen the organising committee’s internal phone book for the Munich sub-office three years later, as the tournament began, they would have noted that Fedor was still listed as a veep and of the four other employees, one was Michaela, another was Sonja and to keep her company was corporate design expert Andreas Abold.