The Swiss prosecutor’s office has just removed a new thorn from Jérôme Valcke’s side. According to our information, confirmed by the prosecutor of the Swiss Confederation (MPC), the latter classified, on Friday, October 4, In November 2015, criminal proceedings were opened against the former French general secretary of the International Football Federation (FIFA), for “unfair management”, “possible abuse of trust” and “data deterioration”.
As part of this MPC judicial investigation, which has several components, a search was carried out in March 2016 at the Swiss home of Mr. Valcke, former FIFA number 2 (2007-2015) and suspended by the committee. ethics of the International Federation of “all related activities” football until 2032, in particular for “conflicts of interest” AND have “accepted and distributed gifts and other benefits.”
The MPC was initially polarized by accusations of “unfair management” issued to several media outlets, including the worldagainst Valcke, in September 2015, by the Israeli consultant Benny Alon in the context of the sale of tickets for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Accusations that had led FIFA, then chaired by Sepp Blatter, to relieve its functions. “with immediate effect” his secretary general to dismiss him in early 2016.
Alon had accused Valcke of having demanded, in 2013, half of the future profits of the 2,400 places assigned by FIFA to the Swiss company JBS. Tickets that Mr. Alon intended to resell at a much higher price, maximizing profits for both of them.
No harm to FIFA
Alon assured the media that he had kept, in a suitcase, a “advance, a six-figure sum” to hand it over, in April 2013, to Mr. Valcke. But this last one, “too busy”and in the midst of a divorce, he rejected the meeting, according to Alon.
In this regard, the MPC essentially considered that Mr Valcke could not be accused of lacking loyalty towards FIFA. If the prosecution considers that Alon did indeed make a proposal to Valcke, this did not result in any harm to FIFA. Although, according to the MPC, Valcke did not reject the offer of “unambiguously, because in any case, from Alon’s point of view, the profit sharing offered clearly remained relevant” in September 2013.
However, Mr. Valcke must bear one third of the legal costs (20,000 Swiss francs). Because, according to the prosecution, he “Omitted, at least through negligence, to warn” FIFA of Mr. Alon’s proposal, which he claims to have not accepted, thus violating his duty of loyalty and FIFA’s internal rules.
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