By Andrew Warshaw
July 27 – Jerome Valcke, for years Fifa’s charismatic go-to troubleshooter before being snared by ethics prosecutors and falling spectacularly from grace, has lost his appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport after seeking to overturn his 10-year ban from football.
Number two to Sepp Blatter for eight years, Valcke was fired in January 2016 over the sale of World Cup tickets, abuse of travel expenses, attempting to sell TV rights below their market value and destruction of evidence.
Subsequent investigations by FIFA’s new management have also implicated Valcke in millions of dollars worth of unregulated spending, notably on private jets.
Valcke was initially banned for 12 years, subsequently reduced to 10 by FIFA’s own appeal committee, but still went to CAS in October to try and clear his name.
Dismissing his appeal against breaching Fifa’s code of ethics, a CAS statement said: “The offenses found to have been committed by Jerome Valcke were cumulatively of a serious degree of gravity,”, adding the ban and a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs “were wholly proportionate.”
The former TV journalist from France who rose rapidly through the sports business ranks with Canal+ and Sport+, was regarded as a highly capable organiser, not least with his hands-on approach to the World Cup and Brazil 2014 in particular. As Blatter’s right-hand he frequently defended his boss as well as trying, ironically, to prevent FIFA’s reputation from spiralling out of con trol.
In recent months he has kept a low profile as he awaited the CAS verdict but at the time of the hearing told reporters: “It takes years to create your reputation. It needs one second to destroy, that’s where I am. A chapter has ended in a brutal manner. I tried to show I never acted against the interests of FIFA.”
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1713593836labto1713593836ofdlr1713593836owedi1713593836sni@w1713593836ahsra1713593836w.wer1713593836dna1713593836