First senior football leaders to risk prison in Europe as part of “Fifagate”, beIN and PSG boss Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, and former FIFA number 2 Jérôme Valcke, will meet their fate in Switzerland on Friday in a television rights case.
The Federal Criminal Court of Bellinzona will deliver its judgment at 1.30 p.m. against the two defendants, heard for ten days in September, as well as against a Greek businessman who had not appeared for health reasons, Dinos Deris.
In this case, the first scandal in world football to find its judicial end in Switzerland, the prosecution had requested 28 months imprisonment against Mr. Al-Khelaïfi, 3 years against Mr. Valcke and 30 months against Mr. Deris, with partial suspension in all three cases.
This is the most severe indictment ever pronounced on European soil in the multiple cases that undermine Fifa, while the United States has already sent two former Latin American leaders behind bars.
Former right-hand man of ousted FIFA boss Sepp Blatter, Jérôme Valcke is responsible for two separate cases linked to his quest for money to ensure a “cicada” lifestyle, as summed up by federal prosecutor Joël Pahud.
A 5 million euro villa at the heart of the business
In the first part, the prosecution accuses him of having requested the help of Nasser Al-Khelaïfi in the summer of 2013 to buy a luxurious villa in Sardinia, at a time when beIN was negotiating the extension of its media rights in North Africa and in the Middle East for the 2026 and 2030 Worlds.
"Flagship football personality", boss of Paris SG and member of the UEFA executive committee, recalled the prosecution, the Qatari leader had acquired the "Villa Bianca" for 5 million euros, via a company transferred almost immediately to the brother of one of his close associates, before making it available to Mr. Valcke.
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The two men, who deny any "corruptive pact" and plead for release, hammered in front of the court that it was a "private" arrangement, unrelated to the TV rights contract finally concluded by beIN with Fifa. in April 2014. Above all, they have in turn portrayed a “golden” and even “sublime” agreement for the football body, since beIN paid 480 million dollars for two World Cups, that is to say 60% more than for the 2018 and 2022 Worlds, when he was alone in the running.
Regardless, for the prosecution: Mr. Valcke should have declared the assembly around the Villa Bianca to Fifa, and was therefore pushed by the boss of beIN to injure his employer - two offenses falling under "unfair management" and the “instigation” of this offense.
Abandoned corruption
But the defense of Nasser Al-Khelaïfi has continued to denounce an "artificial" qualification, designed by the prosecution to "try to save his case", since it had to drop the charge of "corruption" after an agreement reached in January between Fifa and the boss of beIN.
For Messrs. Marc Bonnant, Grégoire Mangeat and Fanny Margairaz, the Qatari leader has never “incited or encouraged” Mr. Valcke to do anything.
In a separate case involving television rights in Greece and Italy, the former Fifa number 2 was on trial for receiving 1.25 million euros in three installments from Dinos Deris.
This time, according to the prosecution, it was to promote the obtaining of media rights to several World Cups in Greece and Italy.
Complainant in these two cases, Fifa claims "between 1.4 and 2.3 million euros" to Jerome Valcke for having benefited for 18 months from "Villa Bianca".
She is also asking for 1.25 million euros from her former secretary general and Dinos Deris.
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TV rights: Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, boss of beIN Media and PSG tried in September in Switzerland
