BERLIN: German football legend Franz Beckenbauer said the scandal engulfing FIFA was less about FIFA president Sepp Blatter and more about a system that was difficult to change.

“It’s not the man himself (who is to blame),” said Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup as a player and a coach.

“Theo Zwanziger (ex-president of the German football federation) once said something clever: ‘It’s not the person but the system’. It’s very difficult to change the system,” insisted the honorary president of Bayern Munich.

“How can you control 209 nations? You’re always going to have a few irregularities. We need a new system.” explained the 69-year-old.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2015

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