t very nearly got the Americans into the playoffs, but for a missed conversion in a 24-19 loss.It has been exciting to play. I can onl

FIFA council member Wolfgang Niersbach, a member of FIFAs ruling council, was banned from soccer for one year on Monday in the first sanction from the investigation into Germanys 2006 World Cup bid.FIFAs ethics committee found Niersbach guilty of failing to report findings about possible unethical conduct and conflicts of interest during the bidding process.Niersbach, who was a vice president of the 2006 World Cup organizing committee in charge of media and marketing, described the punishment as inappropriate and excessive.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.Niersbach retained his elected positions on the top decision-making bodies at both FIFA and UEFA. He is the first member of the rebranded FIFA Council, which replaced the discredited executive committee in May, to be sanctioned by the ethics division.This decision hits me hard, Niersbach said. I was confident after last Thursdays hearing in Zurich that the ethics commission would not impose a ban, but that it would follow my argument that I am only to blame for a belated report on the critical payments between the 2006 World Cup organizing committee and FIFA in 2005, of which I gradually became aware in the summer of 2015, and that it would set a different punishment.I acknowledged my mistake and regretted it again.Niersbach is consulting his lawyers about whether to appeal against his ban.Swiss federal prosecutors, and German criminal and tax investigators, also have wider ongoing criminal cases into the 2006 World Cup -- a hugely successful tournament at the time which the host nation called its Summer Fairytale.The probe involves irregular seven-figure payments and contracts during the bidding process and organization of the World Cup implicating senior officials.The main FIFA ethics case focuses on former Germany great Franz Beckenbauer, who headed the World Cup organizing team and joined the FIFA executive committee in 2007; Theo Zwanziger, who replaced Beckenbauer at FIFA in 2011; Horst Schmidt, vice president of the World Cup organizing panel; and Stefan Hans, chief financial officer for the organizers.In February, an inquiry report commissioned by the federation tried to explain a complex trail of payments of 6.7 million euros ($7 million) and 10 million Swiss francs ($10 million) that linked Beckenbauer, then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter, FIFA powerbroker Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar and Robert Louis-Dreyfus, the late former Adidas executive and part owner of Swiss marketing agency Infront.The report, by law firm Freshfields, did not rule out, but could not prove, that votes were bought when Germany beat a Nelson Mandela-supported South Africa bid in a 12-11 vote of FIFA executive committee members in 2000. Wholesale Shoes Authentic . PETERSBURG, Fla. Discount Shoes For Sale . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. http://www.wholesaleshoesusa.com/ . Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006. China Shoes 2020 .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Fake Shoes 2020 .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. RIO DE JANEIRO -- It was fast, it was furious and the ultra-fit players were colliding at full pace. Rugby sevens certainly grabbed attention in its debut at the Olympic Games.The New England Patriots watched some of the bruising encounters involving teammate Nate Ebner, sending messages of support. It made headlines in Japan. It virtually shut down an entire Pacific nation.Unlike golf, which was returning to the Summer Games after a long absence, the best rugby sevens players in the world tackled the Olympic challenge. True to form, they won gold.The Fijian men, the long-time entertainers and back-to-back world sevens series champions, were one of the best feel-good stories of the games, bringing their tiny country its first Olympic medal and prompting a national holiday. Britain and South Africa picked up the silver and bronze , with Japan finishing a way-beyond-expectations fourth.The world series champion Australian women beat New Zealand for gold, but only after scraping to a 12-12 tie against an under-rated U.S. team which eventually finished fifth. Canada beat Britain for the bronze, and the Brazil womens team -- assembled to represent the host nation -- did well enough to qualify for the world series.World Rugby said the reception had been outstanding in non-traditional rugby markets such as the United States, where USA Rugby had more than 10 million unique visits to their website during the tournament.Its been awesome. I wouldnt have done anything differently, said Ebner, who received special permission to play at the Olympics during the NFL offseason. No regrets, at all.Ebner scored a last-minute try against Fiji in the group stage that very nearly got the Americans into the playoffs, but for a missed conversion in a 24-19 loss.It has been exciting to play. I can only imagine people who havent seen it -- Its got to be exciting to watch, he said. The Pats were watching, he said, and were saying theyre proud. Theyre with us all the way.Ebner said the Olympic sevens tournaments had potentially brought the game to a vast new audience in places like America.With professional sports, the way they are in the United States, I would never put a ceiling on potential growth, he said. I hope people open their eyes and minds to something theyve never done before, whether they grew up playing it like I did, or its something they want to take a stab at later in their life.Hopefullyy everyone embraces it and takes a closer look at it.dddddddddddd. Thats really all I can ask.The secret to sevens success is in the timing, Fiji coach Ben Ryan said. The game is all over in about a quarter of an hour, leaving time for another 11 just like it. The ball almost never stops, and the action moves quickly across and up-and-down the field.The crowd for the tournament opening game was only about 1,000, but it grew with multiple matches across the day. Having six games in each three-hour session helps generate a festival atmosphere, and the players often mix with fans during their breaks.Ryan describes sevens as being like the snack variety of traditional 15-a-side rugby -- which was last played at the Olympics in 1924 -- making it perfect for a TV audience.His team attracted attention off the field, too, with other Olympians.When the boys come in together ... heads turn, he said. Its a different look in the village. Theres not many islanders in there, but (other athletes) have heard about the Fiji rugby sevens team.The whole hope is that rugby adds to the Olympic games, were not just an also-ran. I think its having an impact.The U.S. women produced two big performances, leading Australia 12-5 with a minute to play before the Aussies rallied, and taking New Zealand all the way in a 5-0 quarterfinal loss.U.S. captain Kelly Griffin said the Olympics highlighted how the game is growing. Players in the womens squads came from other sports including basketball, field hockey and track-and-field.I definitely think it adds something about girls and boys both have really powerful bodies and we can go out and be physical and use our bodies for sport, she said.World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said Japans upset win over powerhouse New Zealand on the opening day of the mens tournament was amazing, and noted the performances of the Brazilian teams.Anybodys that been here in a market that is not a traditional (rugby) market and look how the Brazil womens team qualified for the World Series and then you see the Brazilian men living on first and last tries when they played Fiji, he said. Weve had the opportunity and we thank the IOC for that.Hopefully weve showcased our sport on the world stage, and hopefully weve earned the right to be a permanent sport. ' ' '