Munich: German football legend Franz Beckenbauer has admitted the bidding committee he chaired for the 2006 World Cup “went to the limits” to obtain the finals.

In his first televised interview since magazine Der Spiegel made cash-for-votes allegations, Beckenbauer responded: “What are the limits?” when asked if lines had been crossed. “There was no ethics commission, we could contact members of the (FIFA) executive committee directly. We always went to the limit. It was another time,” Beckenbauer told Sky.