Sepp Blatter's top lieutenant tied to FIFA bribery scandal

Is the noose circling around FIFA President Sepp Blatter?

The New York Times reports that his top deputy, FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, transferred $10 million in FIFA funds to an account controlled by Jack Warner, an official who has been accused by U.S. law enforcement authorities of taking kickbacks to help South Africa secure hosting rights for the World Cup in 2010. Valcke has not been officially charged with any wrongdoing, though he makes an appearance in the U.S. indictment against FIFA officials as a "high-ranking FIFA official" responsible for the transfer. It remains unclear whether the transfer was a part of the bribe that Warner allegedly accepted.

According to the Times, Valcke "said in a brief email that he had not authorized the payment and did not have the power to do so."

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Still, the report suggests the alleged bribery ring came closer to Blatter than was previously known.