World football's governing body FIFA on Wednesday announced the dismissal of secretary general Jerome Valcke from the post.
The 55-year-old Frenchman was provisionally suspended from football for his alleged involvement in a scheme to profit from the sale of World Cup tickets. He was relieved from his duties on September 17, last year, after being accused of a series of FIFA ethics code breaches.
“The FIFA emergency committee decided, on January 9, 2016, to dismiss Jerome Valcke from the position of FIFA secretary general with immediate effect. Valcke is therefore no longer the secretary general of FIFA,” FIFA said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The employment relationship between FIFA and Valcke has also been terminated. Valcke was provisionally released from his duties as secretary general on September 17, 2015, and on January 7, 2016, formal adjudicatory proceedings were opened against him by the adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA ethics committee chaired by Hans-Joachim Eckert,” the statement added.
Markus Kattner, the acting secretary general will take over the post.
“The provisional suspension imposed on Valcke on October 8, 2015 and extended on January 6, 2016 continues to be valid. The duties of the secretary general will continue to be assumed by the acting secretary general, Markus Kattner,” FIFA said.
Valcke has also been accused of being party to a potential $10 million 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.
FIFA's ethics committee has already recommended that Valcke should be banned from all footballing activities for nine years.
President Sepp Blatter and vice-president Michel Platini were both suspended for eight years in December following a FIFA ethics investigation.
