The German, the vice-president of the Organising Committee for the tournament in 2006, had contested the ban which he received in July, to the Appeals Committee.

They have ruled that his conduct "constituted a violation" of two articles of FIFA’s ethics code.

The Adjudicatory Chamber of the Ethics Committee said Niersbach breached regulations involving duty of disclosure, cooperation and reporting and conflict of interest.

Niersbach was found to have failed "to report findings about possible misconduct concerning the awarding of the 2006 FIFA World Cup" and the Investigatory Chamber had initially called for a two-year ban.

Niersbach, who resigned from his role as the head of the German Football Association (DFB) in November of last year, was being investigated along with Franz Beckenbauer as part of a wider probe by FIFA into how Germany secured the rights to the 2006 edition of its flagship quadrennial competition.

World football's governing body began an investigation in March of this year concerning the bid process which led to the European nation being awarded the event in July 2000.

It followed allegations that a slush fund of €6.7 million (£5.6 million/$7 million) was set up in order to bribe members of FIFA’s ruling Executive Committee in the 2006 World Cup bid race.

The verdict on Niersbach comes after German prosecutors gained access to an encrypted data file which may contain information relating to the 2006 competition amid an ongoing criminal probe.

According to the DPA news agency, the file was entitled "Complex Jack Warner" - seemingly referring to the former FIFA official who was banned for life for corruption.

Warner was thought to have drawn up a draft agreement with the DFB during his tenure as President of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) which was allegedly made to ensure he would continue their campaign to host the 2006 World Cup.

Fedor Radmann, a close associate of Beckenbauer who led the bid, dismissed allegations that the agreement amounted to bribery.

The arrangement between the DFB and CONCACAF allegedly offered non-cash incentives such as tickets and friendly matches to Warner.

The contract was uncovered when the DFB commissioned law firm Freshfields to investigate the accusations surrounding how they won the rights to the 2006 competition.

Freshfields had claimed they were unable to access the encrypted data file when they conducted their probe but reports suggest it took investigators just 24 days to do so.

The report did uncover potentially damaging claims concerning Beckenbauer, a winner of the World Cup as a player in 1974 and then as a manager in 1990.

It revealed a series of suspicious payments he allegedly made to banned former FIFA vice-president Mohammed bin Hammam.

The German bid defeated South Africa by a narrow margin of 12 votes to 11 back in 2000 after New Zealand's Charlie Dempsey abstained from the second round of voting after stating there had been "intolerable pressure" prior to the ballot.