FIFA investigates Valcke over World Cup tickets

FIFA's ethics judges announced yesterday they had opened formal proceedings against suspended Secretary General Jerome Valcke over alleged corruption involving World Cup ticket sales, one of many scandals now surrounding soccer's governing body.

The announcement came after an ethics investigation into the case recommended a nine-year ban for Valcke, former right-hand man to FIFA president Sepp Blatter who himself has been banned for eight years.

Valcke, who is suspended pending the final outcome and has denied wrongdoing, has been invited to submit evidence to the panel, FIFA's independent Ethics Committee said in a statement.

Valcke was 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.

Even so, 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. Reuters