PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi charged in bribery case
Paris St-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been indicted by Swiss authorities in connection with a wider Fifa bribery investigation concerning World Cup television rights.
Prosecutors have charged Al-Khelaifi with inciting former FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke to commit criminal mismanagement.
Valcke – who had influence over awarding TV rights for FIFA tournaments until 2015 – has also been charged with accepting bribes, criminal mismanagement and falsification of documents.
A third unnamed businessman has been charged with bribery and inciting Valcke to commit criminal mismanagement.
The charges against Al-Khelaifi are in connection with his dealings as chairman of Qatari TV network beIN Media, not as PSG president.
Prosecutors allege he let Valcke use his £1.5m Sardinian villa rent free in an attempt to win Fifa tournament TV rights for his station.
In December, beIN was awarded the rights to broadcast the 2026 and 2030 World Cups.
However, the Swiss attorney general’s office today also dropped an outstanding charge of bribery against Al-Khelaifi relating to the awarding of the TV rights.
Prosecutors reached an “amicable agreement” to drop the charges after a three-year investigation.
In a statement released this morning, Al Khelaifi said: “As I have said vehemently and repeatedly for three years, the charges have not – and have never had – any basis whatsoever, either in fact or law.
“While a secondary technical charge remains outstanding, I have every expectation that this will be proven completely groundless and without any substance whatsoever, in the same way as the primary case.”
Valcke was in his position as Fifa secretary general from 2007 to 2015, when he was sacked in the face of a wave of bribery allegations.
The charges laid today by the attorney general’s office were in relation to dealings between 2013 and 2015.
Prosecutors allege: “[Valcke] exploited his position as Secretary General of FIFA to influence the award of media rights for Italy and Greece for various World Cup and FIFA Confederations Cup tournaments in the period between 2018 and 2030 in order to favour media partners that he preferred.
“In return, the third accused promised and indeed made the aforementioned three payments to Valcke totalling EUR1.25m (£1.05m).”