Wolfgang Niersbach, a member of Fifa’s ruling council, was banned from football for one year on Monday after Fifa’s ethics committee found him guilty in the investigation into Germany’s 2006 World Cup bid.
Fifa’s ethics committee discovered Niersbach guilt as he failed to report findings about possible unethical conduct and conflicts of interest during the bidding process. Niersbach, who was a vice-president of the 2006 World Cup organising committee in charge of media and marketing, described the punishment as “inappropriate and excessive”.
While the investigators had sought a two-year ban, a one year ban from all football related activities was eventually given.