FIFA has fired Jerome Valcke for the second
time, cutting ties with the secretary general
four months after he was suspended while
under investigation for wrongdoing at the
scandal-scarred governing body.
FIFA announced Wednesday that its emergency
committee, consisting of the heads of the
regional confederations, decided to dismiss
Sepp Blatter's top aide over the weekend.
Valcke, whose main duty at FIFA was
overseeing organization of the World Cup,
rose to the top administrative job in 2007
after being re-hired despite being fired the
previous year over his role in a sponsorship
controversy.
Coming less than a month after Blatter was
banned for eight years by FIFA, Valcke's
second dismissal completes the downfall of
the two men who had traveled the globe on
private jets and were entertained by national
leaders as they ran international soccer.
The Frenchman was banished from FIFA in
September when he was put on leave within
hours of a FIFA ticketing partner alleging that
the former television presenter and marketing
executive sought to profit from a 2014 World
Cup black market ticket deal that later fell
through.
Since then, the FIFA ethics case into Valcke
has hardened. FIFA prosecutors last week
recommended a nine-year ban after charging
him with accepting gifts, conflicts of interest,
breaches of confidentiality and loyalty, and
failing to cooperate with investigators.
FIFA ethics judges are expected to hear the
case within weeks but Valcke will not be
returning to the governing body he ran on a
day-to-day basis.
"The employment relationship between FIFA
and Jerome Valcke has ... been terminated,"
FIFA said in Wednesday's statement.
Markus Kattner will continue to serve as acting
secretary general, while refusing to publicly
discuss his role of finance director and why
FIFA authorized a 2 million Swiss franc ($2
million) payment to Michel Platini, which led
to the UEFA president being banned from
soccer for eight years along with Blatter.
As marketing director at the start of the last
decade, Valcke was implicated in misleading
World Cup sponsor MasterCard during
contract renewal talks. FIFA and Blatter
eventually signed with Visa, provoking a legal
suit from MasterCard which was settled for
$90 million.
Valcke's conduct and business ethics were
severely criticized by the federal judge in New
York who heard the case.
source: Jerome Valcke dismissed as FIFA secretary general
