Al Khelaifi returns to testify before the Swiss court

Al Khelafi, president of PSG, and Jérome Valcke, former FIFA number 2, appear today in a Swiss court for alleged influence peddling in the sale of television rights for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups between the highest body of the soccer and the chain BeIN Sports, controlled by the leader of Qatar. Both one and the other were previously acquitted in the first instance, but the sentence was reviewed by the Prosecutor’s Office.

The process, which takes place in the Appeals Chamber of the Bellinzona Criminal Court, is scheduled to end this Thursday. Al Khelaifi and Valcke have been charged with unfair management and are subject to a five-year prison sentence. The Prosecutor’s Office had requested 28 months of deprivation of liberty in the first instance, but the judge ruled in favor of the accused: “After several years of unfounded accusations, justice has completely acquitted me,” said the PSG president in 2020.

The investigation has its origin in 2017 with the registration that was made in the offices of the BeIN Sports company in France, Spain and Italy. Al Khelaifi, however, has always defended his innocence and has denied any attempt to bribe Valcke. The contract between FIFA and the television network was signed for 440 million euros for the 2026 and 2030 events, 60% more than the amount paid at the time for the World Cups in Qatar and Russia.

Meanwhile, a house in Sardinia valued at 5 million euros was also part of the investigation at first. The Federal Criminal Court considers that Valcke gave his support to BeIN Sports in exchange for a luxurious villa on the Italian island, bought in 2013 through a company that was owned by Al Khelaifi. Although the magistrates described the operation as “bribery”, the judge did not condemn it as “private corruption”.