CAS rejects Valcke appeal against 10-year ban

Lausanne, July 27: Former FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke will have to serve a 10-year ban from all football activities after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected his appeal.

Valcke, who held the FIFA secretary general's post during Sepp Blatter's presidency was fired in 2016 and banned from all football-related activity for 10 years by the FIFA ethics committee after being found to be involved in the resale of FIFA World Cup tickets and other ethics violations,

His appeal was heard in October, and on Friday it was dismissed by CAS.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismisses Jerome Valcke appeal against soccerban. https://t.co/NuqsKofO6U pic.twitter.com/y7Cyw5amEQ

— Sportsborough (@Sportsborough1) July 27, 2018

"The offenses found to have been committed by Jerome Valcke were cumulatively of a serious degree of gravity," CAS said in its statement, adding the ban and fine of 100,000 Swiss francs ($100,200) "were wholly proportionate" and confirmed the decision made by FIFA's Appeal Committee in 2016.

Former FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke has failed in his appeal to have his 10 year ban from football overturned. CAS panel found sanction appropriate given the numerous ethics violations pic.twitter.com/EtVgjK1HeP

— tariq panja (@tariqpanja) July 27, 2018

Valcke and Blatter were key figures in the massive graft scandal that rocked FIFA in 2015 and forced sweeping changes within the game's global governing body.

CAS said there was evidence supporting charges that Valcke breached FIFA's ethics rules "in the resale of FIFA World Cup tickets, in relation to his travel expenses, his involvement in a transaction between FIFA and a software development company, an offer of an improper benefit to the regional football union and his failure to cooperate with the FIFA investigation."

A French national, Valcke worked at FIFA from 2003 to January 2016, when he was sacked over his involvement in black market ticket sales and misconduct in television deals.

Subsequent investigations by FIFA's new management have also implicated Valcke in millions of dollars' worth of unregulated spending, notably on private jets.

Separately, he has been implicated in a Swiss criminal investigation involving the possible illegal sale of FIFA World Cup media rights to beIN media, whose wealthy Qatari owner Nasser Al Khelaifi is also the president of Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.

(With inputs from Agencies).