Former Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke banned for 12 years

Former FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke became the latest high-profile soccer official to be kicked out of the sport when he was banned for 12 years on Friday after causing “considerable financial damage” to its scandal-plagued governing body.

Valcke was found guilty by Fifa ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert of misconduct over the sale of World Cup tickets, abuse of travel expenses, attempting to sell TV rights below their market value and destruction of evidence.

“Valcke acted against Fifa’s best interests and caused considerable financial damage to FIFA, while his private and personal interests detracted him from his ability to properly perform his duties as the secretary general of Fifa,” said the Fifa ethics committee.

The Frenchman, whose job was to ensure the smooth running of Fifa and, in particular, its flagship World Cup tournament, had been right-hand man to now banned Fifa president Sepp Blatter for nearly eight years.

Fifa is mired in the worst crisis in its 111-year history, with corruption investigations under way in Switzerland and the United States. Several dozen people, including senior football officials, have been indicted.

The ethics committee has already banned Blatter and European soccer boss Michel Platini for eight years apiece, and more than a dozen other officials have been suspended over the last four years.