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SPORTSThursday 14 January 2016
Valcke dismissed as FIFA secretary general
ROB HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
LONDON (AP) — FIFA has
fired Jerome Valcke for the
second time, cutting ties
with the secretary general
four months after he was
suspended while under in-
vestigation for wrongdo-
ing at the scandal-scarred
governing body.
FIFA’s emergency com-
mittee, consisting of rep-
resentatives the regional
confederations, decided
FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke attends a press conference in St. Petersburg, Russia. FIFA
said Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016 that Valcke was dismissed.
to dismiss Sepp Blatter’s top Coming less than a month
aide over the weekend.
Valcke’s firing stemmed
from a report by accoun-
tancy firm KPMG that was
commissioned some six
months ago following sus-
picions about world foot-
ball’s top administrator, a
person with knowledge of
the case told The Associ-
ated Press on Wednesday.
The person spoke on condi-
tion of anonymity because
he was not authorized to
discuss the case in public.
Valcke’s personal conduct,
including accusations
about his expenses and
private jet use, is the focus
of the KPMG report, rather
than matters concerning
the integrity of games or
tournaments, the person
said.
In a separate FIFA ethics
investigation, Valcke is also
facing a nine-year ban
from working in world soc-
cer after being charged
last week with accepting
gifts, conflicts of interest, Valcke two days before
breaches of confidentiality
and loyalty, and failing to
cooperate with investiga-
tors. Valcke, whose main
duty at FIFA was overseeing
organization of the World
Cup, denies wrongdoing.
The Frenchman was re-
hired by as secretary gen-
eral in 2007 despite being
fired the previous year over
his role in a sponsorship
controversy.
after Blatter was banned
for eight years by FIFA,
Valcke’s second dismissal
completes the downfall of
the two men who had trav-
eled the globe on private
jets and were entertained
by national leaders as they
ran international soccer.
Valcke was banished from
FIFA in September when
he was put on leave with-
in hours of a FIFA ticketing
partner alleging that the
former television presenter
and marketing executive
sought to profit from a 2014
World Cup black market
ticket deal that later fell
through. Valcke had been
in talks earlier in September and is leading preparations
to make an early exit from
FIFA but the discussions to
pay-up his multi-million dol- As marketing director at
lar contract collapsed, the
person with knowledge of
the case told the AP.
Then, based on interim in-
formation from KPMG, FIFA
was preparing to suspend
the revelations about tick-
ets, which hastened his de-
parture rather than being
the trigger, the person said.
Since then, the FIFA cases
into Valcke have hard-
ened and now he will not
be returning to the govern-
ing body he ran on a day-
to-day basis from 2007.
“The employment relation-
ship between FIFA and Je-
rome Valcke has ... been
FC Barcelona’s Neymar celebrates scoring against Espanyol
during a Copa del Rey soccer match at the Camp Nou stadi-
um in Barcelona, Spain. Neymar will appear before a judge to
testify in an investigation into alleged irregularities involving his
transfer to Barcelona, Spain’s national court said Wednesday.
Neymar ordered to appear in
court over Barcelona transfer
TALES AZZONI
AP Sports Writer
MADRID (AP) — Neymar
(AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky) will appear before a judge
to testify in an investiga-
terminated,” FIFA said in tion into alleged irregulari-
Wednesday’s statement. ties involving his transfer to
Markus Kattner will con- Barcelona, Spain’s national
tinue to serve as acting court said Wednesday.
secretary general amid un- Neymar’s parents, for-
answered questions about mer Barcelona president
some of his FIFA work. Sandro Rosell and current
For legal reasons, Kattner president Josep Bartomeu
said last month “I am not also will have to appear
allowed to answer” when before a judge, according
asked about his role of fi- to court documents.
nance director and why The Brazil striker is set to tes- should have because part
FIFA authorized a 2 mil- tify on Feb. 2, while Rosell
lion Swiss franc ($2 million) and Bartomeu are expect-
payment to Michel Plati- ed to be in court on Feb. 1.
ni, which led to the UEFA The national court last year
president being banned rejected the request by
from soccer for eight years Neymar and other defen-
along with Blatter. Kattner dants to throw out a probe
has not been accused of into the irregularities. The
wrongdoing in any cases court is looking into a com-
plaint made by a Brazilian
from FIFA’s side for the 2018 investment group which
World Cup in Russia. claims it was financially
harmed when Barcelona
the start of the last de- and Neymar allegedly
cade, Valcke was implicat- withheld the real amount
ed in misleading World Cup of the player’s transfer fee
sponsor MasterCard during from Brazilian club Santos in
contract renewal talks. q 2013, in part to avoid pay-
ing the full amount of taxes.
Santos’ former presidents,
Luis Alvaro de Oliveira and
Odilio Rodriguez Filho, also
have been asked to ap-
pear in court, as well as
club representatives of
both Barcelona and San-
tos.
The complaint, made in
June by investment group
DIS, names Neymar, his fa-
ther and Barcelona as de-
(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
fendants, along with Rosell
and Bartomeu.
The court analyzed the
complaint and said there
were indications of ille-
gal acts by some of the
involved parties in an at-
tempt to disguise the total
amount that was paid to
the Brazilian club.
The Brazilian investment
group was entitled to
40 percent of Neymar’s
transfer from Santos, but
it claims it received small-
er compensation than it
of the transfer fee was con-
cealed.
Santos officially received
a payment of 17.1 million
euros ($18.5 million) for
Neymar’s transfer, but in-
vestigations in Spain later
showed that Barcelona
spent nearly 83.3 million eu-
ros ($90 million) to acquire
the Brazilian.
A separate court in Madrid
is hearing a similar lawsuit
against Rosell because
of Neymar’s transfer fee.
Rosell resigned from Bar-
celona because of the al-
legations.
FIFA recently said it was also
analyzing a complaint re-
lated to the transfer. Santos
claimed that Neymar and
his father broke the terms
of the player’s contract by
starting negotiations with
Barcelona without the Bra-
zilian club’s consent.
The 23-year-old Neymar
has also encountered
problems with Brazil’s tax
office.q