FIFA NEWS - FIFA Appeal Committee passes decisions on Jérôme Valcke and Chung Mong-joon

Jérôme Valcke - FIFA/AP photo Valcke Dismissed as FIFA Secretary General

The FIFA Appeal Committee considered that mitigating factors had not been fully assessed by the adjudicatory chamber with regard to Mr Valcke’s attempt to grant TV and media rights in the Caribbean for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups - For the 2018 FIFA World Cup, domestic residents will have access to at least 350,000 tickets in category 4, with prices starting from RUB 1,280. Tickets available to all football fans in the remaining categories will be on sale from 105 USD upwards.

???? - Tuesday, July 12, 2016

The FIFA Appeal Committee, chaired by Larry Mussenden (Bermuda), has partially confirmed the decisions taken by the adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee regarding Mr Jérôme Valcke, whose ban has been reduced from 12 to ten years, and Mr Chung Mong-joon, whose ban has been reduced from six to five years.

Following the hearing of Mr Valcke held in Zurich on 24 June 2016, the FIFA Appeal Committee has partially confirmed the decision taken by the adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee on 10 February 2016, which found him guilty of infringing articles 13 (General rules of conduct), 15 (Loyalty), 16 (Confidentiality), 18 (Duty of disclosure, cooperation and reporting), 19 (Conflicts of interest), 20 (Offering and accepting gifts and other benefits) and 41 (Obligation of the parties to collaborate) of the FIFA Code of Ethics (FCE).

The FIFA Appeal Committee considered that mitigating factors had not been fully assessed by the adjudicatory chamber with regard to Mr Valcke’s attempt to grant TV and media rights in the Caribbean for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups to a third party for a fee far below their actual market value. Therefore, the ban imposed by the adjudicatory chamber on Mr Valcke, which entered into force on 10 February 2016, has been reduced from twelve to ten years and the fine of CHF 100,000 has been confirmed.

The FIFA Appeal Committee has also partially confirmed the adjudicatory chamber’s decision of 7 October 2015 concerning Mr Chung, who was found guilty of infringing articles 13, 16, 18, 41 and 42 (General obligation to collaborate) of the FCE.

The FIFA Appeal Committee considered that the available evidence was not sufficient to establish a breach of article 16 of the FCE. Consequently, the ban imposed by the adjudicatory chamber on Mr Chung has been reduced from six to five years and the fine reduced from CHF 100,000 to CHF 50,000. As no hearing had been requested by Mr Chung, the decision was taken based on the available case file. The ban imposed on Mr Chung entered into force on 7 October 2015.

Ticket prices for FIFA Confederations Cup and FIFA World Cup announced

The ticket prices for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup were announced in Moscow today following a Local Organising Committee (LOC) board meeting with FIFA participation. As for the South Africa and Brazil FIFA World Cups held in 2010 and 2014, a special category has been reserved for residents of the host country, who will be able to apply for FIFA Confederations Cup Russia group-match tickets starting at RUB 960. At least 100,000 tickets will be available in this specific category 4 for the “Tournament of Champions”, taking place from 17 June to 1 July 2017. The remaining ticket categories are priced from USD 70 to 245.

For the 2018 FIFA World Cup, domestic residents will have access to at least 350,000 tickets in category 4, with prices starting from RUB 1,280. Tickets available to all football fans in the remaining categories will be on sale from 105 USD upwards.

“We wanted to make sure that we priced tickets fairly to make the events accessible to as many people as possible. We therefore conducted thorough market research and have priced the tickets accordingly. The teams that have qualified to date for the ‘Tournament of Champions’ promise a great football festival here in Russia next year,” said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura, who was in Moscow for her first working visit to the hosts.

Ticket sales for fans wishing to attend the FIFA Confederations Cup will begin with a VISA exclusive pre-sales phase running from 8 to 17 November 2016. The first sales phase will then start on 1 December, five days after the Official Draw in Kazan.

Russia, Germany, Australia, Chile, Mexico and New Zealand have already qualified, while the winners of UEFA EURO 2016 – or the runners-up should world champions Germany win – are also guaranteed a spot. The eighth and final participant will be decided in January at the conclusion of the 2017 CAF Africa Cup of Nations, when the full Russia 2017 match schedule will be known.

For the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017, fans will be able to apply not only for individual match tickets, but also for ticket series for a specific host city. As well as those two options, fans wishing to follow their country at the 2018 FIFA World Cup will also be able to apply for team-specific ticket series.

Fans will shortly find all relevant information, including the ticket price list and a FAQ document, on FIFA.com/tickets. To ensure that they do not miss out on anything, fans will also soon be able to sign up for ticketing information in the form of a newsletter. Ticket sales for the FIFA World Cup will only begin after next year’s FIFA Confederations Cup. For both tournaments, tickets will be available for purchase by the general public exclusively on FIFA.com.

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