Don’t associate yourself with the toxic flow of greed, corruption and bribery that plagues these governing bodies, which are supposed to be there to protect and maintain the values of sport yet often contrive to do the exact opposite.

The damning, shocking and explosive World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Commission report, coupled with the ongoing crisis surrounding FIFA and the clearly corrupt manner in which it awards the hosting rights of its flagship tournament, the World Cup, provide distressing proof that sport as a whole is in trouble. Big trouble.

At the heart of both scandals, albeit in contrasting fashion, are ex-professionals, with double Olympic gold medallist Sebastian Coe in charge of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), now mired in controversy following the revelations in the report, and former international football stars Michel Platini and Franz Beckenbauer, who have both been accused of corruption within FIFA.

It is important to mention here that Coe seems a victim of inheriting a position he has coveted at a bad time having recently taken over as IAAF President from Senegalese octogenarian Lamine Diack, who seemingly turned a blind eye to Russia’s systemic doping throughout his tenure and was recently forced to resign his honorary membership of the International Olympic Committee.

Sceptics will say the Briton had to have known Diack, who he heralded as a "spiritual leader", was covering it all up, by burying any allegation or accusation of doping in the depths of the ground, but it is equally feasible that he had no idea whatsoever that this was all going on in the bribery-laden background.

But Beckenbauer, considered one of Germany’s greatest-ever players, and Platini, the sour-faced Frenchman who once delighted the footballing world with his talent, can have no such excuses.

Both are accused of following accused FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who was recently hospitalised after suffering what was described as a “small emotional breakdown”, down the road to corruption and as so many have proved, once you start your journey on that path there is no going back.

It is claimed that a slush fund was established so that Germany could essentially buy their way to securing the rights to host the 2006 World Cup, and the allegations swirling around Beckenbauer are that he was not just complicit in the bribery, but that he actively encouraged it.

While he seems to be content to hide away from all the accusations, day by day it gets worse for the 70-year-old. The most recent allegations could be the most damning yet as anyone who associates themselves with the disgraced Jack Warner, former President of CONCACAF and who is now, thankfully, banned from football for life, immediately has a deserved target on their back.

Beckenbauer, who now looks likely to escape a ban along with Angel Maria Villar Llona despite allegedly refusing to co-operate with investigations into Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, reportedly signed a contract promising “various services”, whatever that may entail, with Warner just days before Germany beat South Africa by 12 votes to 11 to bag themselves the hosting rights for the World Cup.

Warner, of course, denies any involvement. In an email to German publication Sport1, he insists he has no “intention of joining in the circus of the international media, whose only objective seems to be demean and denigrate”.

“Suffice it to say, however, that I have never, ever had any agreement of any kind with anyone involved with Germany's hosting of the 2006 World Cup,” he goes on to say, but quite frankly, his words aren’t worth the paper they were written on.

Not only that, but the pen-happy German also allegedly penned yet another dubious contract with then Malta Football Association President Josef Misud, worth around $250,000 (165,000/€233,000) five weeks before the vote for the tournament. Legitimate business deals? I highly doubt it.

Both of these supposed acts have served only to ramp up suspicion that the slush fund allegations are true, and that Germany bribed and bought its chance to stage the World Cup, further deepening the scandal surrounding world football’s governing body, which is still reeling from the arrest of 14 officials before it held its Congress in Zurich in May.

The way in which the 2006 tournament landed at the feet of the Germans was, most of us had imagined, clean as a whistle. Surely a nation as proud and self-righteous as Germany would never get involved in such treachery? A few months ago such a suggestion would have been dismissed almost instantaneously. Not so much now.

The Germany scandal is perhaps the most surprising. After all, the European nation, steeped in footballing history, could surely have won the right to host a World Cup on merit, yet instead Beckenbauer and co allegedly felt the need to engage in corruption to achieve their primary aim.

Often those who cheat, deceive and dope their way to victory need that prohibited edge to triumph over their rivals - who knows how many Russian athletes would have won gold at London 2012 without the apparent widespread doping system in place - but in the case of the German World Cup bid, this needn’t have been the case.

The stadiums were there, the transport links were in place and few countries in the world are as football-mad as the Germans. But perhaps those involved at the epicentre of the bid believe bribery was the only way to ensure the World Cup came to their nation and that they couldn’t win fair and square.

While the accusations continue to linger over the head of Beckenbauer like a guillotine ready to strike at any minute, he has so far remained silent, offering only a brief riposte to the allegations against him.

His actions raise an age-old debate about the role of ex-professionals in sporting politics and governance. Is Beckenbauer, someone who was lauded as the greatest of his generation on the pitch, simply out of his depth off of it?

Of course, merely coming out and denying all involvement means nothing nowadays, but he only has to offer a detailed explanation to put his side of the story across and maybe, just maybe, he can begin to rebuild the trust of a group of people who revelled in watching him out on the football pitch. A more astute politician may have done so already.

Coe, on the other hand, has demonstrated his political prowess in his role in bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games to London and has begun to stamp his authority on the disarray world athletics finds itself in by suspending Russia from the sport.

A giant first step has been taken but there are many hurdles to come if he is to completely pull athletics from the fire.

There are advantages to having former sportsmen in high-level roles within governing bodies and in the murky world of sports politics, such as the Briton, as they can offer a wealth of knowledge and experience which businessmen and other officials could only dream of possessing.

But often their passion and fervour for their sport can drive them to overstep the boundary between right and wrong. In Beckenbauer’s case, you can bet your bottom dollar he would have done anything in his power to ensure the World Cup returned to Germany for the first time since he led his country to victory on home soil in 1974 when he was campaigning ahead of the vote in 2000.

And that passion may have led to the situation he and German football finds itself in at the moment. With his standing in the game in ruins, perhaps he wishes he could turn back the clock and steer clear of the world of sporting politics.