Fifa crisis deepens as Sepp Blatter’s right-hand man Jerome Valcke suspended over ticket allegations
Frenchman is subject of allegations over deal for black market sales of tickets to 2014 World Cup matches
Fifa suspended president Sepp Blatter’s right-hand man, Jerome Valcke, and ordered an investigation into alleged unethical conduct, throwing world soccer’s scandal-scarred governing body into further turmoil.
Valcke, Fifa’s secretary general for the past eight years under the embattled Blatter, was hours earlier the subject of allegations over a deal for black market sales of tickets to 2014 World Cup matches.
“Fifa today announced that its secretary general Jerome Valcke has been put on leave and released from his duties effective immediately until further notice,” the governing body said in a brief statement which did not specify details.
[My client] unequivocally denies the fabricated and outrageous accusations
“Further, Fifa has been made aware of a series of allegations involving the secretary general and has requested a formal investigation by the Fifa ethics committee.”
A call to Valcke’s mobile phone was not answered late on Thursday. It was unclear if he was already in Russia where the 1,000-day countdown to the 2018 World Cup kick-off is being marked on Friday in Red Square, Moscow.
The 55-year-old Frenchman’s main duty is overseeing organisation of the world’s most-watched sports event which earned Fifa around US$5 billion for the 2014 tournament in Brazil.
