Jérôme Valcke
Encyclopedia
Jérôme Valcke is a French
Manager
and as of 27 June 2007 he is employed as the General Secretary
of the international football federation (FIFA
) in Zürich
.
at the French TV company Canal+
. From 1991 until 1997 he held the office of deputy chief of sports. In 1997 he took over the position of Chief executive officer
at the Sport+
sports channel, which he occupied until 2002. From 2002 until 2003 Valcke worked for the sports rights agency Sportfive
at their headquarters in Genf as Chief operating officer
. In the summer of 2003 Valcke switched to the international football federation FIFA
in Zürich and took the position of director of Marketing & TV. At the meeting of FIFA's Executive Committee
on 27 June 2007 Valcke was installed as the new general secretary, as proposed by FIFA President Sepp Blatter
, and was thereby elected as the successor of Urs Linsi who stepped down on the 11th of June 2007. Markus Kattner, who had acted as interim general secretary between the 11th and 27th of June 2007, was installed as his deputy. Kattner had already been working for FIFA since 2003 as chief of finance. Valcke is the first general secretary of FIFA since 1956 who wasn't born in Switzerland
.
Besides his first language French
, he speaks English
, German
and Spanish
.
and thus violated the right of first negotiation of MasterCard. Because of this, the FIFA was fined $
60 mln. FIFA president Blatter said: "Strong people bring you back. When he began his work as director of marketing and TV in FIFA four and a half years ago, we were in a financial crisis. Currently we have an equity of SFr
752 million." According to Blatter, Valcke was released in December and had not been fired. Valcke responded to his promotion of the 27 June 2007 in Zurich, with the following statement: "It's like a dream for me."
On 30 May 2011, Executive Committee member Jack Warner, who had been suspended that day for possible ethics violations pending an investigation, leaked an email from Valcke which suggested that Qatar had "bought" the rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Valcke subsequently issued a statement denying he had suggested it was bribery, saying instead that the country had "used its financial muscle to lobby for support". Qatar officials also denied any impropriety.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Manager
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
and as of 27 June 2007 he is employed as the General Secretary
General Secretary
The office of general secretary is staffed by the chief officer of:*The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace...
of the international football federation (FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
) in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
.
Career
Valcke was employed as a journalistJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
at the French TV company Canal+
Canal+
Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted...
. From 1991 until 1997 he held the office of deputy chief of sports. In 1997 he took over the position of Chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
at the Sport+
Sport+ (France)
Sport+ is a French television channel on cable and satellite which is owned by Canal+ and which is devoted to live sport....
sports channel, which he occupied until 2002. From 2002 until 2003 Valcke worked for the sports rights agency Sportfive
Sportfive
SPORTFIVE is an international sports rights marketing agency with a global network of locations and affiliated companies.SPORTFIVE was formed in 2001 when the European Commission unconditionally approved the merger between the sports rights activities of Jean-Claude Darmon, Sport+, a subsidiary of...
at their headquarters in Genf as Chief operating officer
Chief operating officer
A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
. In the summer of 2003 Valcke switched to the international football federation FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
in Zürich and took the position of director of Marketing & TV. At the meeting of FIFA's Executive Committee
FIFA Executive Committee
FIFA Executive Committee is an institution of FIFA . It is the main decision-making body of the organization in the intervals of Congress...
on 27 June 2007 Valcke was installed as the new general secretary, as proposed by FIFA President Sepp Blatter
Sepp Blatter
Joseph S. Blatter , commonly known as Sepp Blatter, is a Swiss football administrator, who serves as the 8th and current President of FIFA . He was elected on 8 June 1998, succeeding João Havelange. He was re-elected as President in 2002, 2007, and 2011...
, and was thereby elected as the successor of Urs Linsi who stepped down on the 11th of June 2007. Markus Kattner, who had acted as interim general secretary between the 11th and 27th of June 2007, was installed as his deputy. Kattner had already been working for FIFA since 2003 as chief of finance. Valcke is the first general secretary of FIFA since 1956 who wasn't born in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Besides his first language French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, he speaks English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
Criticism
The appointment of the new general secretary of FIFA Valcke surprised some experts, as FIFA president Blatter had released Valcke in December 2006 from his job as marketing director after a New York court had found him guilty in the summer of 2004 in his role as marketing director for negotiating sponsor agreements with the rival VISA, despite the existing agreement of FIFA conducted with the long-time partner MasterCardMasterCard
Mastercard Incorporated or MasterCard Worldwide is an American multinational financial services corporation with its headquarters in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States...
and thus violated the right of first negotiation of MasterCard. Because of this, the FIFA was fined $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
60 mln. FIFA president Blatter said: "Strong people bring you back. When he began his work as director of marketing and TV in FIFA four and a half years ago, we were in a financial crisis. Currently we have an equity of SFr
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
752 million." According to Blatter, Valcke was released in December and had not been fired. Valcke responded to his promotion of the 27 June 2007 in Zurich, with the following statement: "It's like a dream for me."
On 30 May 2011, Executive Committee member Jack Warner, who had been suspended that day for possible ethics violations pending an investigation, leaked an email from Valcke which suggested that Qatar had "bought" the rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Valcke subsequently issued a statement denying he had suggested it was bribery, saying instead that the country had "used its financial muscle to lobby for support". Qatar officials also denied any impropriety.