FIFA bans council member Niersbach in World Cup bids probe (The Associated Press)

FIFA council member Wolfgang Niersbach, a member of FIFA's ruling council, was banned from soccer for one year on Monday in the first sanction from the investigation into Germany's 2006 World Cup bid. FIFA's ethics committee found Niersbach guilty of failing to report findings about possible unethical conduct and conflicts of interest during the bidding process. Last year, Niersbach had been considered a possible successor to UEFA President Michel Platini before resigning as president of the German soccer federation when allegations against the bid first surfaced.