Sepp Blatter’s right-hand man at FIFA, Jerome Valcke, has been put on indefinite leave following allegations of his involvement in a ticketing scam.
In his role as general secretary since 2007, Valcke was implicated in the improper resale of Brazil 2014 tickets yesterday.
According to Richard Conway of the BBC, the football governing body’s number two was en route to Russia when Blatter took the decision to suspend Valcke, leaving the Frenchman high and dry.
FIFA was rocked in May by a series of raids by Swiss and US officials and the arrest of seven FIFA officials. Remarkably Blatter won reelection in the wake of these tumultuous events, however just days after his victory the controversial 79-year-old president announced he would stand down in the new year.
Just last month Valcke was considering standing against UEFA president and favourite, Michel Platini, but yesterday’s events might have taken the wind from beneath his wings.
