Qatari senior manager Nasser Al-Khelaifi and former FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke appeared before the Swiss Federal Criminal Court on Monday accused of corrupt television deals for various international tournaments. According to the indictment, Valcke would have accepted real estate in Italy in exchange for efforts to grant television rights to the Middle East and North Africa for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the 2026 World Cup and other events. Al-Khelaifi heads the Qatari broadcasting group beIN.
He is also president of Paris Saint-Germain and delegate of the executive committee of the European body UEFA. Both have denied any wrongdoing, while a third defendant, a Greek businessman, did not come forward citing a heart health problem. Prosecutors accuse him of paying 1.25 million euros to Valcke to secure the rights of Italy and Greece for various World Cups and Confederation Cups.