FIFA just suspended its secretary general over alleged black market ticket sales

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke
(Image credit: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

FIFA indefinitely suspended Secretary General Jerome Valcke on Thursday, just hours after a World Cup partner alleged he was selling black market tickets to the 2014 tournament at three times their face value, The Associated Press reports. Soccer's international governing body also announced an investigation into Valcke, who has served in the role under President Sepp Blatter for eight years.

FIFA is already reeling from a widespread corruption scandal, during which the U.S. indicted several top-ranking officials, some of whom have appeared in federal court, while others haven't yet been extradited. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced Monday that the federal probe would likely yield more charges.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.