The Swiss justice indicated Thursday to have accused the president of Paris Saint-Germain Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and the former number two of Fifa, Jérôme Valcke, in a corruption case related to "the attribution of media rights". The Worlds mentioned concern 2026 and 2030. The president of the beIN sport channel and of the PSG is thus heard this Thursday in Switzerland for active corruption, concerning the attributions of media rights for the World Cups 2018 to 2030. Nasser al Khelaïfi as well as a third person, a businessman whose name has not been released, is suspected of inciting Jérôme Valcke to commit these criminal offenses. For his part, Valcke has been charged with corruption as well as several counts including criminal offenses of mismanagement and falsification of documents, said the Swiss federal prosecutor's office.
Criminal proceedings were opened in 2017 for “active private bribery”. Al-Khelaifi having been suspected by the Swiss courts of having offered "improper advantages in connection with the granting of media rights in certain countries with regard to the" World Cups of 2026 and 2030 "in the former number 2 of FIFA Jérôme Valcke, while he is director of the BeIN Media group. In 2017, searches were carried out in the French offices of the beIN sport chain. The investigation was opened in 2017 after beIN Sports, of which Nasser Al-Khelaïfi is also the boss, obtained the broadcasting rights for the Middle East and North Africa region of the 2026 and 2030 World Cups, against a check for € 480 million.
According to a press release from the Federal Prosecutor's Office (MPC): "the investigation revealed that Valcke obtained improper advantages from the two co-defendants", in this case "the reimbursement of a deposit of approximately 500 000 euros that he had paid to third parties for a villa in Sardinia, this after the purchase by Al-Khelaïfi, via a company, in place of Valcke. Valcke then obtained from Al-Khelaïfi the exclusive right of enjoyment of the villa for a period of 18 months in total, until his suspension from FIFA - without having paid a rent worth this estimated between around 900,000 euros and around 1.8 million euros. Valcke received from the third defendant three payments with a total value of 1.25 million euros to his company Sportunited Sàrl. "
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