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Wolfgang Niersbach: Ex-German FA chief facing a two-year ban

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Wolfgang NiersbachImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Niersbach was elected to Uefa's and Fifa's executive committee in 2015

A former German Football Association president is facing a two-year ban from all football-related activity.

The independent ethics committee of world governing body Fifa recommended Wolfgang Niersbach be punished for a breach of its ethics code.

In November, the 66-year-old resigned from his role as German FA president over bribery allegations.

He quit amid allegations a £4.9m payment to Fifa was used to buy votes for Germany's 2006 World Cup bid.

That payment resulted in German authorities opening a tax evasion investigation, but Niersbach has said he always worked "cleanly, confidently and correctly".

In March, Fifa began investigations into the role of Niersbach and five others, including German football legend Franz Beckenbauer, in Germany's bid to host the 2006 World Cup.

It said Niersbach, who was elected to the Fifa and Uefa executive committees last year, would be investigated in order to examine a "possible failure to report a breach of the Fifa code of ethics".

Beckenbauer and three others were to be investigated for "possible undue payments and contracts to gain an advantage in the 2006 World Cup host selection".

Fifa's ethics committee also recommended that Niersbach be fined £20,000.

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