FIFA Extends Jerome Valcke's Provisional Ban

Suspended FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke's provisional 90-day ban was extended Wednesday by 45 days, a day after investigators recommended the extension.

The investigatory chamber of FIFA’s ethics committee recommended Tuesday that Valcke be banned from football for nine years and face a US$99,130 fine over alleged corruption charges.

However, FIFA’s adjudicatory chamber have decided to extend the ban on Valcke for just 45 days.

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“The adjudicatory chamber of the ethics committee, chaired by Mr Hans-Joachim Eckert, has decided to extend the suspension of Mr. Jerome Valcke by 45 days at the request of the investigatory chamber,” the ethics body announced in a statement, offering no additional details on the possibility of a further ban.

Valcke faces several corruption charges, including allegations of involvement in the sale of World Cup tickets on the black market, as well as accepting gifts and other benefits.

The most high-profile and damning accusation comes in the form of an alleged US$10 million bribe paid to Jack Warner, the former chief of Concacaf, the North and Central American football governing body.

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Valcke was initially suspended in September over the accusations, but has maintained that he is innocent of any wrongdoing.

The suspended secretary-general has a controversial history within FIFA. In 2006, he was released following a scandal involving MasterCard and Visa, which ended up costing FIFA US$90 million in an eventual settlement.

Now suspended FIFA President Sepp Blatter re-appointed him to his role in 2007.