FIFA slaps new bans on Blatter, Valcke
Zurich, Switzerland (PANA) - The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee of football's governing body, FIFA, announced on Wednesday that it has found Mr Joseph S. Blatter, former FIFA President, and Mr Jérôme Valcke, former FIFA Secretary General, guilty of various violations of the FIFA Code of Ethics (FCE).
It said on its website that the investigations into the two former top FIFA officials covered various charges.
The charges in particular concerned bonus payments in relation to FIFA competitions that were paid to top FIFA management officials, various amendments and extensions of employment contracts, as well as reimbursement by FIFA of private legal costs in the case of Mr Valcke.
FIFA said in the decisions, the adjudicatory chamber ruled that Mr Blatter had breached art. 15 (Duty of loyalty), art. 19 (Conflicts of interest) and art. 20 (Offering and accepting gifts or other benefits) of the FCE.
Mr Valcke was found to have violated art. 15 (Duty of loyalty), art. 19 (Conflicts of interest), art. 20 (Offering and accepting gifts or other benefits) and art. 25 (Abuse of position) of the FCE.
In the calculation of the sanctions to be imposed Mr. Blatter and Mr. Valcke have both been sanctioned with bans from all football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international level for a period of six years and eight months.
In addition, fines to the amount of one million Swiss francs each have been imposed on the two men.
"As the previous bans from taking part in all football-related activity imposed on Messrs Blatter and Valcke by the independent Ethics Committee in 2015 and 2016 have not yet been purged, the bans notified today will only come into force upon the expiry of the previous bans, that is 8 October 2021 and 8 October 2025, respectively.
-0- PANA MA 24March2021
