week2-Fifa corruption scandal

Fifa corruption scandal: Sepp Blatter's No 2 faces allegation over Brazil 2014 World Cup

Fifa Secretary General Jérôme Valcke has been accused of agreeing to help sell Brazil 2014 World Cup tickets on the black market to generate millions of dollars in personal profit, in a fresh scandal to engulf football’s governing organisation.

The allegation was made by Benny Alon, an Israeli former footballer who has worked as a ticketing and hospitality agent at every World Cup since 1990.

Emails said to be between him and Mr Valcke appear to show that Mr Valcke knew that Mr Alon intended to sell 8,750 tickets for 24 ‘creme de la creme’ matches at last year’s World Cup at several times their face value – a breach of Fifa’s rules on ticket sales.

The allegations have been denied by Mr Valcke.

Mr Alon has spent today briefing journalists on his claims, and said that in a meeting with Mr Valcke in 2013, the pair agreed that Mr Alon’s JB Sports Marketing (JBSM) would be provided with the tickets to matches featuring hosts Brazil and eventual champions Germany.

  

“I told him we’d like tickets to three Germany matches, and all the matches Brazil might play,” Mr Alon told the Daily Mail.

“It was clear we could make a good amount of money from selling these tickets if we got these games – the creme de la creme – and we agreed to split the profit.”

Mr Valcke, a former television sports journalist, is the second most important man in Fifa after Sepp Blatter, and has been Secretary General since 2007. So far none of the various allegations against Fifa executives have suggested anyone sought to benefit from corrupt deals.

Mr Alon said that, in the end, the deal didn’t happen. Mr Alon claimed Mr Valcke asked him if it could be cancelled, ‘as a favour’, as Fifa already had an official ticketing partnership with a different company, Match.

In an email to Mr Alon on 12 December 2013, Mr Valcke allegedly wrote: “Benny, if you ask lawyers about [it] nothing will happen. You, we, have no choice. Otherwise [your] deal will be cancelled by Fifa or we all face as individuals criminal offence. It is not a joke. It is very serious. So avoid too many advice. Just do it, if I may say using a slogan from one company involved. All is clear and has to be finalized now. Thanks. Jérôme.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/fifa-corruption-scandal-sepp-blatters-no-2-faces-allegation-over-brazil-2014-world-cup-10506665.html

 Structure of the Lead：
  WHO-Fifa Secretary General Jérôme Valcke
  WHEN-December 2013
  WHAT-Jérôme Valcke is accused of agreeing to help sell black market tickets.
  WHY-to generate millions of dollars in personal profit.
  WHERE-not given

  HOW-not given

Keywords：

accused  被控告的
profit 利潤
engulf  捲入   
governing  統治 管理 支配
allegation 辯解 斷言 宣稱 
hospitality  殷勤 好客
agent 代理的
 briefing  簡要指示 
 split  使分離 

executives 實施的 行政的

 corrupt  賄賂  墮落

 finalized  最終確定