Secretary general Jérôme Valcke suspended by Fifa

Fifa secretary general Jérôme Valcke has been put on leave and released from his duties effective immediately until further notice, world football's governing body has announced.

Fifa officials said they have been made aware of a series of allegations involving the secretary general and requested a formal investigation by the Fifa Ethics Committee.

It follows newspaper claims that Valcke was aware a Swiss marketing company was selling off World Cup and Confederation Cup tickets for almost five times their face value.

Valcke's lawyer has said he denies the allegations about the sale of World Cup tickets.