FIFA bans former secretary general Jerome Valcke for 12 years

Former FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke was banned from all soccer-related activities for 12 years, FIFA’s ethics committee chairman Hans Joachim Eckert announced on Friday.

The ban is four years longer than what FIFA president Sepp Blatter received in December. Valcke, whose job at FIFA was to oversee TV and media rights, was a close associate of Blatter’s.

“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,” the FIFA ethics committee said in a statement.

Valcke was investigated initially for his office’s potential misuse of World Cup tickets. Investigator, however, found other violations, including travel expense irregularities, destruction of evidence and the improper sale of FIFA’s TV and other media rights.