Zurich: Football's world governing body FIFA yesterday banned the former head of their bid evaluation committee for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups for seven years for "confidentiality" breaches.

Harold Mayne-Nicholls, a former Chilean FA president, wrote the report that gave Qatar the worst ranking of the candidates for the 2022 World Cup finals which the wealthy Gulf state went on to win. FIFA's Ethics Committee adjudicatory chamber banned Mayne -Nicholls, 54, "from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level for a period of seven years", a statement said.