Fifa sacks suspended secretary general Jérôme Valcke with immediate effect
The Frenchman is facing a nine-year ban after an ethics investigation considered several alleged offences, including being connected to the black market sales of World Cup tickets. He denies wrongdoing.
The ethics committee's investigatory chamber recommended a nine-year ban and a 100,000 Swiss francs (£67,500) fine as it passed the case to the adjudicatory arm, headed by the German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, for a final decision.
In December Blatter and Michel Platini, the Uefa president who was his heir apparent, were banned from football for eight years following an investigation into a £1.35m "disloyal payment". Both men protested their innocence.
Valcke has been suspended since 17 September, but Fifa's emergency committee has now decided to dismiss him from the organisation.
Fifa said in a statement: "The employment relationship between Fifa and Jérôme Valcke has been terminated ... The provisional suspension ... extended on 6 January 2016 continues to be valid. The duties of the Secretary General will continue to be assumed by the Acting Secretary General, Dr Markus Kattner."
It is the second time Valcke has been dismissed by Fifa. In 2006 a New York judge said Valcke, as head of marketing, had "lied repeatedly" to potential sponsors, with a lawyer saying that among Fifa's "white lies, commercial lies, bluffs, pure lies, straight untruths and perjury, Mr Valcke even lied when testifying about his lies". Blatter rehired him eight months later.
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