FIFA ethics judges have formally opened a case against Jerome Valcke, who faces a nine-year ban from football.
The ethics committee’s judging chamber says it “decided to institute formal adjudicatory proceedings” against FIFA’s former secretary general after studying a prosecution file sent by ethics investigators.
The judges acted one day after extending Valcke’s 90-day interim ban by 45 days.
Valcke is charged with several violations of the FIFA code of ethics while serving as President Sepp Blatter’s top aide since 2007. The charges include accepting gifts and conflicts of interest.
The judges gave no details of the case, citing Valcke’s “privacy rights and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.”
A hearing in Zurich is likely within weeks.
IFAB discuss video replay trials
lONDON: Football’s rule-makers are discussing whether to approve trials of video replays to assist referees who find it harder to keep up with the faster, modern game.
The International Football Association Board first approved technology in 2012 for determining whether the ball crossed the goal-line. But the FIFA-dominated panel met on Thursday in london to decide whether to allow the first official in-game tests with video replay systems that could help to inform referees on what they might have missed.
“It’s trying to get consensus on how we can best use technology to help referees,” English FA chief executive Martin Glenn said. “So those difficult snap-shot decisions at high speed are ones where we think technology might help and we’ve just got to test that.”
FIFA controls half of the eight votes on IFAB, which also features four United Kingdom FA’s. A motion requires at least six votes to be approved.