Former FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke banned for 12 years

Jerome Valcke, former Fifa secretary general, has been banned from all football-related activity for 12 years - the latest high-profile official to be sidelined from the sport after causing "considerable financial" damage to the sport's governing body.

It said Valcke, also fined 100,000 Swiss francs, was also involved in "the abuse of the FIFA travel expenses policies and regulations, cases involving related-parties issues and the sale of TV and other media rights, and the destruction of evidence."

"Mr Valcke acted against FIFA's best interests and caused considerable financial damage to FIFA, while his private and personal interests detracted him from his ability to properly perform his duties as the Secretary General of FIFA," said the statement.

"Valcke deliberately tried to obstruct the ongoing proceedings against him by attempting to delete or deleting several files."

Valcke, who had held the role for nearly eight years, was put on leave by FIFA in September and fired in January.

The ethics committee has already banned outgoing FIFA president Sepp Blatter and European soccer boss Michel Platini for eight years apiece, and other officials have been suspended over the last four years.

FIFA is mired in the worst crisis in its 111-year history, with corruption investigations under way in Switzerland and the United States. Several dozen people, including senior football officials, have been indicted.

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