has been sacked after sealing his fate with a joke
about the governing body on Swiss TV.
Gregorio told Swiss chat show Schawinski: "The
Fifa president, secretary general and
communications director are all travelling in a car.
Who's driving? The police."
Fifa announced in a statement that De Gregorio
had "relinquished his office".
But the BBC understands he was asked to leave
by president Sepp Blatter.
Blatter himself announced earlier this month that
he would stand down as Fifa president following a
new election, just two days after winning re-
election for a fifth term.
That followed the arrest of seven top Fifa officials
in a massive FBI corruption probe.
De Gregorio, who has held the role since
September 2011, is also understood to have
clashed with Blatter after a disagreement with one
of his allies.
The 50-year-old was unhappy with an article in a
Swiss magazine called Klein Report in which he
was criticised by Klaus J Stohlker, a PR
professional utilised on an ad-hoc basis by
Blatter.
He is then understood to have confronted Blatter
and asked him whether he agreed with the views
expressed by Stohlker.
Fifa said in its statement that De Gregorio would
remain with the organisation on a consultancy
basis until the end of the year.
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