Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is facing criminal charges in Switzerland surrounding the media rights for various World Cups and Confederations Cups.
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has filed criminal charges against Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi for inciting former FIFA secretary general Jerôme Valcke to commit aggravated criminal mismanagement .
Valcke has been charged for accepting bribes, several counts of aggravated criminal mismanagement and falsifying documents. Another unnamed businessman was also charged by the OAG with bribery.
Aside from being the president of Paris Saint-Germain, Al-Khelaifi also serves as the chairman of BeIN Media Group, a sports and entertainment network based in Qatar, and a member of the UEFA Executive Committee.
In a statement, Al-Khelaifi said: "After an exhaustive three-year investigation, where I have fully and openly cooperated with the Public Prosecutor in Switzerland, I am pleased that all charges of bribery in connection with the 2026 and 2030 World Cups have been dropped."
"While a secondary technical charge remains outstanding, I have every expectation this will be proven completely groundless and without any substance whatsoever, in the same way as the primary case," he added.
According to the OAG, Valcki allegedly received "undue advantages" from Al-Khelaifi and the unnamed businessman.
The OAG stated: "Valcke was refunded the down payment of around €500,000 that he had made to a third party on the purchase of a villa in Sardinia, after Al-Khelaifi had purchased the villa through a company instead of Valcke."
"Valcke then received from Al-Khelaifi the exclusive right to use the villa for a period of 18 months -- until he was suspended by FIFA -- without having to pay an estimated rent in between about €900,000 and about €1.8 million," it continued.
FIFA banned Valcke for 12 years in 2015, but was reduced to 10 years in 2016, from all football-related activity due to a number of ethics violations, including misconduct with expenses and the sale of World Cup tickets.
