Court clears former German soccer president Zwanziger
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A court has dismissed a complaint from Qatar against a former German soccer federation president who called the Emirate a "cancerous growth of world football."
Duesseldorf's regional court ruled Tuesday that Theo Zwanziger was within his right to free speech, confirming a preliminary ruling in February.
The Qatari soccer association had filed a civil lawsuit against Zwanziger after he made the statement in June, calling the description "unacceptable slander and vilification" of Qatar and its citizens.
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Zwanziger argued he never intended to insult the people of Qatar but wanted to criticize the FIFA process which awarded the 2022 World Cup to the gas-rich country.
The Qatari soccer association sought 100,000 euros ($109,000) in damages and a court order for Zwanziger not to make such comments in the future.