Valcke expects to be leaving FIFA himself once Blatter has finally gone
ZURICH: Jerome Valcke does not expect to be staying on as secretary-general of world football federation FIFA once a new president has been voted in to succeed Sepp Blatter writes KEIR RADNEDGE.
Blatter announced on Tuesday that, despite having been re-elected for a further four-year term by FIFA Congress last Friday, he had decided to stand down after an emergency elective conference.
Frenchman Valcke said this would not affect his role in the immediate future but he indicated he would not expect to be staying under a new president.
Valcke said: “I have no reason to say that I should not remain secretary-general, I have no responsibility, I have no complaints, I do not have to justify myself as innocent.
“I always said that I was the general secretary for Sepp Blatter. There will be a new FIFA president beginning in 2016 and, in general, a president chooses his own general secretary. ”
Valcke has been placed in the eye of the storm over a United States Justice Department bribery allegations concerning $10m paid by South African 2010 World Cup organisers to the central and north American confederation.
The South Africans have insisted the payment was a legacy development grant.
Valcke said: “At one point, following a decision by the South African government, FIFA received a letter asking to withdraw from the budget of the World Cup organising committee a sum of 10 million dollars to be assigned to the Legacy Diaspora programme. This fund was to be managed by the president of CONCACAF Jack Warner, so this was posted to the accounts specified by Jack Warner.
“I do not have the power to authorize a payment, especially a payment of 10 million dollars and especially when it comes from another FIFA account.
“A letter from the chairman of the finance committee [the late Julio Grondona] was followed by the fact that the South Africans confirmed the decision to remove the 10 million and that Jack Warner, who was vice-president of the finance committee, agreesd.
“The approval of Julio Grondona has been confirmed. It was not FIFA’s money so I do not see how I have any role in a corruption story.
“I had just been appointed general secretary of FIFA and we were just in the middle of making a payment approved by the chairman of the committee of FIFA finances.”
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