GENEVA – Fifa banned its former finance director Markus Kattner for 10 years on Tuesday for helping former president Sepp Blatter and other top managers award themselves salary raises and bonuses totaling tens of millions of dollars.
Kattner spent 13 years overseeing the world soccer body’s finances during Blatter's presidency. When he was fired by Fifa’s new management in 2016, it was revealed that Blatter, former secretary general Jerome Valcke and Kattner himself were contracted to get World Cup bonuses, loyalty bonuses and future golden handshakes totaling tens of millions of dollars.
At the time, a spokesperson for Kattner said the contracts were approved by Fifa’s compensation panel and known to its then-auditors. The 49-year-old German is now classed as an accused person in Switzerland after a long-standing criminal proceeding against Blatter was extended to include himself and his former boss Valcke.