FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke has been sacked by world football's governing body after his alleged involvement in a scheme to profit from the sale of World Cup tickets.
Frenchman Valcke, who was outgoing Fifa president Sepp Blatter's right-hand man, was already provisionally suspended from all football on 8 October for 90 days and last week that ban was extended by 45 days.
A FIFA statement said, “The FIFA emergency committee decided, on 9 January 2016, to dismiss Jerome Valcke from the position of secretary general with immediate effect. Jerome Valcke is therefore no longer the secretary general of FIFA. The employment relationship between FIFA and Jerome Valcke has also been terminated.”
Valcke, who denies any wrongdoing, has been accused of being party to a potential $10m bribe paid to Jack Warner, the former head of the North and Central America football governing body Concacaf, in return for his vote and backing to South Africa's successful bid to host the 2010 World Cup.
Markus Kattner has been named acting secretary general of a body currently fighting scandals on several fronts. US authorities have charged 39 individuals, including top FIFA executive members, and two companies over bribery in football contracts.
Blatter is under criminal investigation in Switzerland for criminal mismanagement over a two million Swiss francs payment to FIFA vice president Michel Platini. Both have been banished from football for eight years.
Swiss prosecutors are also investigating the attribution of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively.
Valcke is no stranger to controversy having also been sacked in 2006 over a battle with credit card sponsors Mastercard. He negotiated a deal with Visa that excluded long-time sponsors Mastercard. FIFA had to pay $90 million in compensation. A New York judge said Valcke had lied to both companies. He was sacked as marketing director, but after the compensation deal, Blatter reappointed him as his deputy.
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