FIFA executive fired for paying himself millions

The discovery of a secret bonus scheme that directly paid a FIFA executive millions has led the beleaguered organisation to fire Markus Kattner, acting General Secretary, with immediate effect.

The payments became widely known following a probe by US law firm Quinn Emmanuel, who are currently making their way through masses of documents.  

Sources close to the investigation told The Guardian that, between 2008 and 2014, bonus payments that totalled millions were paid in an arrangement that was privy to a small group of people.

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Jérôme Valcke, Kattner’s predecessor, were both aware of the secret transactions, insiders told The Guardian.