<!--Article Start--> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="document jq_ColDocument jq_ShareArea"> <div class="tooltipContent"> <div class="scrollContent jq_Content jq_langdir tinyscrollbar doctooltip-y fontsize_0"> <div class="viewport"> <div class="overview"> <h3 style="text-align: justify">FIFA investigators on Tuesday requested a nine-year ban against the body's suspended secretary general Jerome Valcke, who was provisionally suspended from football in October for 90 days over corruption allegations.</h3> <p style="text-align: justify">The investigatory chamber of FIFA's ethics committee, world football's in-house prosecutor, also asked for Valcke's temporary suspension to be extended for 45 days while FIFA's judges weigh evidence against the organisation's former second-in-command.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">In a statement, FIFA prosecutors accused Valcke of violating "the general rules of conduct," including "duty of disclosure, cooperating and reporting conflict of interest," while "accepting gifts and other benefits", among other charges.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Investigators also called for the 55-year-old Frenchman to pay a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs ($99,000, 92,000 euros).</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Valcke's suspension followed allegations of involvement in a ticketing scam, in which he was accused of selling World Cup tickets on the black market at above their face value.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Valcke's lawyer issued a statement on his behalf blasting FIFA's investigators.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">"The Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee has chosen to ignore Jerome Valcke's exemplary conduct and extraordinary contributions during his long tenure as Secretary General," said Barry Berke in a statement.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">"Today's press release is nothing more than a self-serving public relations effort to wrongly attack Mr. Valcke in a desperate attempt to try to prove that FIFA can police itself.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">"Mr. Valcke did absolutely nothing wrong as any independent and fair review of the facts would establish."</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Valcke had previously been accused of being party to a potential $10-million (9.25-million-euros) bribe paid to former head of the North and Central America football governing body CONCACAF, Jack Warner.</p> . <p style="text-align: justify">Valcke's suspension was due to expire at midnight and judges in FIFA's adjudicatory chamber may approve an extension later Tuesday.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">But even without that approval, Valcke will not return to work as he has also been banned indefinitely by FIFA's management, a penalty that is separate from the ethics committee suspension.</p> <h2 style="text-align: justify">Questionable past?</h2> <p style="text-align: justify">Valcke's link to alleged graft within world football goes back to 2006.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">While serving as FIFA's marketing director, he was thrown out of the organisation over a scandal involving key sponsor Mastercard.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Valcke was found to have negotiated with MasterCard's rival VISA in violation of the former company's right of first negotiation, a mistake that cost FIFA $90 million in a settlement.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Six months later, FIFA president Sepp Blatter promoted Valcke to secretary general, and the two were reportedly close through much of the last decade.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Blatter, 79, has been banned from football for eight years and is the target of a criminal investigation by Switzerland's attorney general.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">As part of their investigation, Swiss prosecutors reviewed Valcke's emails.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">The allegations of involvement in a black market ticket scam came from emails sent to the British press by Israeli former professional footballer Benny Alon.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Valcke's potential downfall is the latest in world football, hit by an unprecedented series of scandals that have sparked demand for major reform across the globe.</p> <p style="text-align: justify"><strong>By AFP</strong></p> </div> </div> </div> </div></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--Article End-->