Prolific striker, constant critic of FIFA and Brazilian Football Confederation corruption, and current socialist member of Brazilian senate Romario de Souza Farias had plenty to say upon hearing the news that Jerome Valcke – Secretary General of world soccer’s governing body – was suspended pending an investigation into allegations that he played an implicit role in a ticket plot during the 2014 World Cup.
The former FIFA World Player of the Year and fifth place finisher in FIFA Player of the Century polls published a lengthy five-paragraph post to his official Facebook page, accusing Valcke of being “corrupto e chantagista” – corrupt and a blackmailer.
“This is for all Brazilians,” he said. “That corrupt, loudmouth, extortionist secretary of FIFA, Jerome Valcke, took a kick in the ass today.”
With “kick in the ass” he was of course referring to one of Valcke’s most controversial moments as Secretary General, when he very unwisely suggested that Brazil needed a “kick up the ass” in order to speed up World Cup preparations.
“He was the interlocutor between Brazil and FIFA in preparation for the 2014 World Cup,” Romario continued. “We put up with the arrogance of that bandido, even though I expressed myself on various occasions in the hopes that the governing body would take a more aggressive stance and refuse to accept a guy like that as an interlocutor.”
He concluded his post by assuring readers that FIFA is not an exemplary guiding light to follow for its dismissal of Valcke. Rather, the organization “should self implode and start from scratch.”