German soccer federation chief Wolfgang Niersbach said on Monday he was stepping down, taking "political responsibility" for graft claims related to the 2006 World Cup but admitting no personal guilt.

German soccer has been caught in the storm unleashed by a report in magazine Spiegel last month which alleged that a $7.2 million payment made by soccer association DFB to FIFA was used to buy votes in order to secure the hosting of the World Cup known affectionately in Germany as the 'Summer Fairytale'.

The scandal took a dramatic twist last week with police carrying out raids at DFB headquarters and prosecutors revealing that three men - including the DFB chief - were being investigated for serious tax fraud surrounding the FIFA payment.