Jerome Valcke: Fifa ethics committee recommends nine-year ban for suspended secretary general

The French administrator's original 90-day suspension from all football-related activities ends on Tuesday

Fifa's suspended general secretary Jerome Valcke (Getty Images)

Suspended FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke is facing a nine-year ban after an ethics investigation into several alleged offences including being connected to black market sales of World Cup tickets.

FIFA's investigatory chamber has finished its probe into Frenchman's activities and has recommended a nine-year ban and a 100,000 Swiss franc fine on charges including conflicts of interest and offering and accepting gifts and other benefits.

Valcke was suspended in September after allegations were made claiming he planned to benefit from black market World Cup ticket sales. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Last month, FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini were both banned for eight years by the ethics committee.

Dr Cornel Borbely, chairman of FIFA's ethics committee investigatory chamber, has handed over his report on Valcke and recommendations to the adjudicatory chamber chaired by German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert.

Valcke's 90-day suspension from all football-related activities ends at midnight on Tuesday but a 45-day extension has been requested by Borbely.

A statement from FIFA's ethics committee said: "The chairman of the investigatory chamber recommended imposing a sanction of a nine-year ban and a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs on Mr Valcke for alleged violation of the general rules of conduct, loyalty, confidentiality, duty of disclosure, cooperation and reporting, conflicts of interest, offering and accepting gifts and other benefits, and general obligation to collaborate.

"Until a formal decision is taken by the adjudicatory chamber of the ethics committee, Mr Valcke is presumed innocent."

PA