FIFA said today it had fired Secretary General Jerome Valcke amid alleged corruption involving World Cup ticket sales, one of many scandals surrounding soccer’s governing body.
“The FIFA Emergency Committee decided, on January 9th, 2016, to dismiss Jerome Valcke from the position of FIFA Secretary General with immediate effect,” Zurich-based FIFA said in a statement without giving a reason for the dismissal.
An ethics investigation into the case recommended a nine-year ban for the Frenchman, who was former right-hand man to FIFA President Sepp Blatter who himself has been banned for eight years.
Valcke has now been sacked twice by FIFA. He joined the organization in 2003 as marketing director but was fired in December 2006 for his part in botched sponsorship negotiations with credit card firms MasterCard Inc and Visa Inc.
