Fifa’s Jérôme Valcke released from duties over World Cup ticket claims

Football’s crisis-hit world governing body has dramatically released its secretary general, Jérôme Valcke, Sepp Blatter’s right-hand man since 2007, from his duties “until further notice” in the wake of allegations involving the resale of World Cup tickets.

Fifa, in turmoil since a series of dramatic arrests in May and subsequent US corruption charges, said in a statement that Valcke had been put on leave after being implicated in a scheme to sell World Cup tickets above face value and share in the profits. He has denied the allegations through his lawyers.

“Fifa today announced that its secretary general Jérôme Valcke has been put on leave and released from his duties effective immediately until further notice,” it 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.”

Valcke, long seen as Blatter’s fixer and responsible for overseeing Fifa’s commercial contracts and its showpiece tournaments, has been under mounting pressure in recent months. The organisation is determined to be seen as cleaning up its act, in the midst of an internal reform process headed by the former International Olympic Committee executive François Carrard that has been derided by critics.

Valcke was believed to have been flying to Moscow, one of the host cities for the 2018 World Cup, when the allegations were aired at a dramatic briefing in Zurich by a ticketing partner of Fifa’s official hospitality agency Match. Fifa’s investigation will be led by Cornel Borbély, the head of the investigatory arm of the ethics committee.

The allegations have been made by a consultant at a company that struck a deal with Fifa to sell tickets for the 2014 World Cup but the contract was cancelled. The claims will increase the pressure on Valcke, who is fighting on a number of fronts amid the continuing meltdown at Fifa. Documents seen by the Guardian appear to suggest that Valcke was to be the beneficiary of an agreement to sell the tickets at inflated prices. However, the documents are incomplete, selective and could easily be open to other interpretations.

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