WORLD football’s governing body Fifa has dismissed secretary general, Jerome Valcke.

The Frenchman, 55, was provi­sionally suspended from football for his alleged involvement in a scheme to profit from the sale of World Cup tickets.

He was released from his duties on 17 September after being accused of a series of FIFA ethics code breaches.

Appointed in 2007, the former right-hand man of FIFA president Sepp Blatter has denied any wrong­doing.

“The duties of the secretary general will continue to be assumed by the acting secretary general, Dr Markus Kattner,” read a FIFA statement.

FIFA’S ethics committee said on 7 January that it had decided to open “formal adjudicatory proceedings” against Valcke after studying a report submitted by its investigatory cham­ber.

Valcke had also been accused of be­ing party to a potential £6.8m ($10m) bribe paid to Jack Warner, the former head of the North and Central Ameri­ca football governing body Concacaf, in return for his vote and backing to South Africa’s successful bid to host the 2010 World Cup.

FIFA’S ethics committee had al­ready recommended that Valcke should be banned from all footballing activities for nine years.

Blatter and vice-president Michel Platini were both suspended for eight years in December following a FIFA ethics investigation.

Valcke had been sacked twice by FIFA.

He joined the organization in 2003 as director of marketing and TV, but was dismissed in 2006 over a scandal involving its long-time sponsorship partner Master­card.

He was found to have negotiated with Mastercard’s rival Visa in vio­lation of the former company’s right of first negotiation, which cost FIFA $90m (£61.3m) in a settlement.

Ok