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 "The FIFA Emergency Committee decided, on 9 January 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.
Valcke was once one of the most powerful men in FIFA and responsible
for ensuring that preparations for the last two World Cups, in South
Africa and Brazil, were completed in time.
An ethics investigation into the case recommended a nine-year ban
for the Frenchman, former right-hand man to FIFA President Sepp
Blatter who himself has been banned for eight years.
Last week FIFA's ethics judges announced they had opened formal
proceedings against Valcke, who has denied wrongdoing in the past.
Valcke was placed on leave by FIFA in September following the
allegations and initially suspended for 90 days in October when the
ethics committee started its investigation. That suspension was
extended for another 45 days last week and a ban from all soccer
activities remains in effect.
The secretary general's duties will continue to be carried out by
Acting Secretary General Markus Kattner, FIFA said.
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.
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His case has been overshadowed by the turmoil which has engulfed
FIFA in the last year, with criminal investigations into the sport
in both the United States and Switzerland.
Altogether, 41 people and sports entities, including top FIFA
officials, have been indicted by U.S. prosecutors for offences
including corruption, fraud and money laundering.
(Reporting by Joshua Franklin; editing by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi and
Dominic Evans)
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