DPA/Zurich


The release of FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke from his duties over corruption allegations further damaged the image of football’s ruling body and also overshadowed celebrations in Moscow 1,000 days ahead of the World Cup in Russia yesterday.
European Football Union (UEFA) secretary general Gianni Infantino, said after executive committee meetings in Malta that UEFA is “saddened and disappointed. Of course we have heard of the allegations. They are grave.
“FIFA is going through difficult times. We have to cope with it and make our contribution for change. We are doing our utmost that the reform process goes in such a way that it improves the image of world football.”
In Moscow, where fans and players celebrated the 1,000-day milestone, Russian Sports Minister Vatali Mutko named the allegations “unpleasant” and added he hoped things would calm down at FIFA.
Valcke was reportedly on his way to Moscow in a private jet for the event when the news broke, and turned back before arriving there.
FIFA said that its competition director Colin Smith delivered the speech instead of Valcke in Moscow.

Relieve with immediate effect
The ruling body also said that Valcke’s deputy, Markus Kattner, will take over his duties after Valcke was relieved “with immediate effect” the previous day.
“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,” the ruling body said late Thursday in a brief statement.
The Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) and other media earlier reported on serious allegations by the JB sports marketing company against FIFA management.
The SZ said that JB representatives had revealed a ticket contract with FIFA for World Cup tournaments 2010-2022 in which Valcke had received a guarantee of a “discrete profit” for himself.
Valcke has denied any wrongdoing and was quoted as saying through a lawyer that he denies the “fabricated and outrageous allegations.”
The 55-year-old Frenchman Valcke is a close confidante of outgoing FIFA boss Joseph Blatter and was secretary general since 2007.
That appointment came a year after he was fired from FIFA in connection with a controversial sponsorship deal with credit card company Visa who replaced former FIFA partners MasterCard. MasterCard sued FIFA and the case ended in a 90-million-dollar payment by FIFA.
Apart from the ticket allegations Valcke allegedly said on several occasions ahead of the deciding vote in December 2010 that Qatar would be 2022 World Cup hosts.
He is also believed to have authorised a payment of 10 million dollars to an account controlled by former FIFA top official Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago, a sum sent via FIFA by the 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa.
FIFA has been hit by various corruption allegations over the past years and seven football officials were arrested in Zurich on May 27 as part of a US probe. Swiss authorities are also investigating the 2018 and 2022 World Cup votes in a separate probe.
US Attorney General Loretta Lynch had not ruled out further arrests at a joint news conference with Swiss authorities on Monday.
The latest allegations were named as “interesting statements” Friday by a spokeswoman of the Swiss Attorney General.
Infantino meanwhile said that UEFA was not involved in the release of Valcke while UEFA president Michel Platini, who is running for the FIFA presidency when Joseph Blatter steps down on February 26, 2016, did not comment on the issue.