FIFA refuses Niersbach appeal

FIFA said Friday its appeal committee had rejected a bid by Wolfgang Niersbach to overturn his one-year ban from football over the 2006 World Cup scandal.

Niersbach was banned in July over misconduct surrounding Germany's successful 2006 World Cup bid for failing to report findings about possible unethical conduct and conflicts of interest during the bidding process.

Switzerland's attorney general's office last year opened an investigation last year into fraud and money laundering allegations against four members of the 2006 World Cup organising committee.