Beckenbauer paid 5.5 million euros for 2006 World Cup work (The Associated Press)

The German football federation (DFB) says former soccer great Franz Beckenbauer received payments totaling 5.5 million euros ($6.2 million) for his work leading the country's successful bid to host the 2006 World Cup. Beckenbauer was previously said to have worked in an honorary unpaid capacity for the bid, according to Der Spiegel magazine, which first revealed details of the payments Tuesday. The DFB, in responding to Der Spiegel's story, says Beckenbauer conducted work for a betting agency that sponsored the bid, and that the DFB made five payments from the proceeds of the sponsorship agreement between February 2005 and October 2006.