By Andrew Warshaw
September 18 – Just when you thought the corruption scandal enveloping FIFA could not get any deeper, Jerome Valcke, Sepp Blatter’s right-hand man, was dramatically relieved of his duties today, hours after he was the subject of allegations over a scheme to sell 2014 World Cup tickets above face value.
FIFA’s general-secretary, who led the organisation’s administration but who in recent months had become increasingly under-fire as the crisis intensified in the wake of Blatter’s decision to step down, is understood to have been in Russia on 2018 World Cup duty when FIFA issued a bombshell announcement that he had been released “with immediate effect”.
“FIFA today announced that its Secretary General Jerome Valcke has been put on leave and released from his duties effective immediately until further notice,” a brief statement said. “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.”
Earlier Thursday, a ticketing consultant whose company had dealings with Fifa made allegations about World Cup tickets being sold at three times their face value and claimed the 54-year-old Valcke had been prepared to profit personally from the deal.
Valcke’s suspension came at the end of another tempestuous week in which United States Attorney-General Loretta Lynch warned the football world to expect more arrests in the ongoing probe into $150m worth of alleged bribery and corruption that has already snared a series of high-profile powerbrokers.
But that paled into insignificance compared to the stunning news concerning FIFA’s number two, who had often acted as trouble-shooter whenever the scandal-tarnished organisation found itself in hot water.
Cornel Borbely, chairman of the investigatory chamber of the ethics committee, confirmed that Valcke was being investigated. “The Investigatory Chamber of the independent Ethics Committee takes note of the media release of FIFA from Thursday night,” a statement from his office said. “The chamber points out that – as a matter of principle – it will analyse all information that is brought to its attention of its own accord. The question of whether an investigation is pending in a specific case, will not be commented upon.”
Valcke, who last month said he would almost certainly step down with Blatter, made no immediate comment but has faced scrutiny in recent months over his dealings with South Africa concerning the 2010 World Cup.
United States prosecutors claim $10 million was paid by South Africa to former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner as a bribe in return for his vote. The money is said to have been transferred to Warner in 2008 from a FIFA bank account following a request to Valcke from the South African Football Association.
Valcke vehemently denied he did anything wrong saying he went through normal channels of protocol and was acting on the request of the South African authorities who themselves insist the money was a donation to the African diaspora in the Caribbean as part of South Africa’s 2010 World Cup legacy programme and was not intended to up in warner’s hands.
Yet now Valcke, who has been responsible for overseeing FIFA’s commercial contracts, finds himself out of a job, temporarily at least, following the latest allegations from Benny Alon, an Israeli-American who has reportedly been arranging World Cup hospitality packages since 1990 through his company JB Sports Marketing AG. Alon made the revelations at a meeting in Zurich’s Hyatt hotel.
Within hours of the claims, FIFA suspended Valcke, leaving a massive void at the top of the administration just when it desperately needs stability.
It has been rumoured that Valcke didn’t actually make it to Moscow and that his plane turned back in full flight though this could not be immediately confirmed. But after initially making no comment, his lawyers put out a statement categorically dismissing Alon’s accusations.
“Jerome Valcke unequivocally denies the fabricated and outrageous accusations by Benny Alon of alleged wrongdoing in connection with the sale of World Cup tickets,” a statement said.
“Mr Valcke never received or agreed to accept any money or anything else of value from Mr Alon. As has been reported, FIFA entered into an agreement with Mr Alon’s company, JB Sports Marketing. That agreement and FIFA’s subsequent business dealings with Mr Alon were vetted and approved by FIFA and its legal counsel.”
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