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 A purportedly scandal-free background, long links with the DFB, the
world's largest national football association, and limited
involvement in global authority FIFA and its European counterpart
UEFA singled him out in some quarters as an ideal candidate for one
of soccer's leading roles.
However, Friday's report in Der Spiegel appear to have moved the
goalposts somewhat, despite strong DFB denials that the 6.7 million
euro ($7.60 million) fund was used in a cash-for-votes deal to hand
the world's premier soccer tournament to Germany by a one-vote
margin over South Africa back in 2000.
Der Spiegel also claimed Niersbach, who took over at the DFB in
2012, and 2006 tournament organizing committee chief Franz
Beckenbauer, Germany's highest-profile former player, were aware of
the money loaned by then Adidas CEO Robert Louis-Dreyfus to the
German World Cup bid committee.
While the allegations still need to be substantiated to determine
whether there was any wrongdoing, Niersbach's involvement in the
affair, however, is likely to have wider repercussions for the
sport.
With the heads of FIFA and UEFA both suspended as part of ongoing
corruption investigations, the football world had already initiated
the process of sounding out possible replacements.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter has already confirmed he will stand down
on Feb. 26 to make way for a successor after U.S. and Swiss criminal
investigations focused on corruption, bribery and racketeering
charges plunged the authority into its biggest ever scandal back in
May.
UEFA boss Michel Platini, originally favored to succeed Blatter, has
seen his chances diminish in the wake of the Swiss attorney general
office's initiation of criminal proceedings against the FIFA chief
over a two million Swiss franc ($2.1 million) payment made to the
Frenchman in 2011.
Both deny any wrongdoing.
Platini was dealt a further blow on Friday when the English FA
withdraw its pledge to support him in the FIFA presidential
election.
MR CLEAN
Niersbach was long seen as 'Mr Clean', having joined FIFA's
Executive Committee as recently as May and having no involvement
with the scandals that have plagued the authority in recent years.
As the investigations into FIFA and UEFA widened, calls for
Niersbach to step in and help world football recover grew louder
with former UEFA president Lennart Johansson saying the German was
the perfect choice to lead the European body.
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The 64-year-old former sports journalist had repeatedly been asked
whether he had planned to run for either position but his answers
were often more cryptic than revealing with Niersbach keeping his
cards close to his chest.
"I do not want and I will not shy away from playing my part,"
Niersbach said this week.
Any thoughts of actually throwing his hat into the ring will now
have to be put on the back burner as German politicians, stunned by
Der Spiegel allegations, called for a detailed investigation into
the affair.
"It is a scandal of the DFB and this is something we cannot accept.
The world's biggest football federation must do everything in its
powers to clear this up," said Green Party Member of Parliament
Ozcan Mutlu, who is a member of the parliamentary committee on
sport.
"We expect this as sports politicians and we expect this as a
society from everyone who was involved in that World Cup," said
Mutlu, a fierce critic of FIFA.
Germany's Justice Minister Heiko Maas also waded in, calling for a
thorough investigation into the claims.
"These allegations must be investigated uncompromisingly. Football
fans have the rights for that," Maas wrote on Twitter.
With any probe likely to raise further questions and possibly open
more damaging wounds, Niersbach's chances of running for one of
soccer's top posts are looking more remote than ever in the current
climate.
($1 = 0.8814 euros, 0.9530 Swiss francs)
(Editing by John O'Brien)
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