The scandal cast a shadow over German soccer for much of the year as it was preparing for the tournament.
Soccer's world governing body, FIFA, has also come under sharp criticism for its ticket-sales practices, particularly for charging a nonrefundable fee to people who enter a lottery for tickets.
Members of the European Parliament protested that people must pay the price of the ticket, plus the fee of 5 euros, or US$5.87, to enter a lottery, which will not be held until February. Saying that amounts to an interest-free loan to FIFA, they have asked the European Commission to investigate.
"Complaints about tickets will follow us until five minutes before the kickoff of the final match," said Wolfgang Niersbach, executive vice president for the German organizing committee.
Security is another potential problem. German authorities are planning a significant police presence in and around the stadiums, but some officials express fear that they will not be able to prevent violence, like the hooliganism that erupted during the 1998 World Cup in France.
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