FORMER FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke may face a nine-year ban as the world soccer governing body’s ethics committee’s lead investigator, Cornel Borbely, recommended Tuesday.

    Borbely recommended the ban after concluding his inquiry. He also asked Valcke be fined 100,000 Swiss francs (US$100,000) and that his 90-day suspension be extended for another 45 days.

    Valcke was accused of violating six articles of the FIFA code of ethics, including confidentiality and conflict of interest.

    The Frenchman was originally banned for 90 days in October, a month after being put on leave by FIFA. The ban expired Tuesday.

    A final decision on banning Valcke will come from ethics committee judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, the man who last month banned both Blatter and Michel Platini for eight years each.

    Last year, Valcke was implicated by a FIFA ticketing partner for using work and private email accounts to discuss a World Cup black market ticket deal. Valcke has denied that he sought cash from sales of top-category tickets for matches at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil he knew were being offered at several times face value.

    Valcke has been charged with breaching FIFA ethics rules on confidentiality and loyalty, which could be leveled simply for doing official business through private email accounts.

    Valcke, whose main duty at FIFA was overseeing organization of the World Cup, rose to the top administrative job at FIFA soon after being fired in 2006 during a scandal.

    As marketing director, he was implicated in misleading World Cup sponsor MasterCard during contract renewal talks. FIFA and Blatter eventually signed with Visa, provoking a legal suit from MasterCard which was settled for US$90 million.

    Valcke’s conduct and business ethics were severely criticized by a federal judge in New York who heard the case.

    FIFA fired Valcke and other marketing officials involved in the deal, then re-hired him several months later as secretary general after Blatter was re-elected president.(SD-Agencies)Jerome Valcke FORMER FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke may face a nine-year ban as the world soccer governing body’s ethics committee’s lead investigator, Cornel Borbely, recommended Tuesday.

    Borbely recommended the ban after concluding his inquiry. He also asked Valcke be fined 100,000 Swiss francs (US$100,000) and that his 90-day suspension be extended for another 45 days.

    Valcke was accused of violating six articles of the FIFA code of ethics, including confidentiality and conflict of interest.

    The Frenchman was originally banned for 90 days in October, a month after being put on leave by FIFA. The ban expired Tuesday.

    A final decision on banning Valcke will come from ethics committee judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, the man who last month banned both Blatter and Michel Platini for eight years each.

    Last year, Valcke was implicated by a FIFA ticketing partner for using work and private email accounts to discuss a World Cup black market ticket deal. Valcke has denied that he sought cash from sales of top-category tickets for matches at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil he knew were being offered at several times face value.

    Valcke has been charged with breaching FIFA ethics rules on confidentiality and loyalty, which could be leveled simply for doing official business through private email accounts.

    Valcke, whose main duty at FIFA was overseeing organization of the World Cup, rose to the top administrative job at FIFA soon after being fired in 2006 during a scandal.

    As marketing director, he was implicated in misleading World Cup sponsor MasterCard during contract renewal talks. FIFA and Blatter eventually signed with Visa, provoking a legal suit from MasterCard which was settled for US$90 million.

    Valcke’s conduct and business ethics were severely criticized by a federal judge in New York who heard the case.

    FIFA fired Valcke and other marketing officials involved in the deal, then re-hired him several months later as secretary general after Blatter was re-elected president.(SD-Agencies)