Football legend Beckenbauer joins Putin´s Gazprom team

Franz Beckenbauer will join former Stasi  agent  Matthias Warnig  in  Putin´s  Gazprom team
(image by wikipedia)

Germany´s soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer is probably in a great need of cash. Otherwise it is difficult to understand why the former soccer star allows himself to be used as a promoter of Gazprom, the state controlled gas giant, used as a political weapon by Russia´s lifetime ruler Vladimir Putin.

Gazprom is facing inreasing problems in Germany - and the rest of Europe - due to the American led shale gas revolution and economic stagnation, as well as political concerns. 

Schröder together with his friend, the  "flawless democrat"

The Gazprom bosses obviously think that Beckenbauer, will do a better job as former chancellor Gerhard Schröder as the company´s public face in Germany. You may remember that Schöder, who was rewarded by his friend Vladimir Putin with the well paid job as chairman of the board of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, still maintains that the former second rate KGB spy is a "flawless" democrat.

Putin and his protege, former Stasi agent Matthias Warnig

Schröder has never had any problems working together with Nord Stream´s CEO Matthias Warnig, an old Stasi agent and friend of Putin´s from his time as a KGB spy in DDR. It will be interesting to see how well "Der Kaiser" - as Beckenbauer is called by fans in Germany - will be able to co-operate with the former Stasi spy and his former KGB friend in the Kremlin.