The Madrid-PSG week began in turmoil for Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, president of PSG. He and Jérôme Valcke, former FIFA number 2, They have been appearing since Monday in Switzerland on appeal for influence peddling in television rights between the highest soccer body and the beIN network, which is also directed by Al-Khelaïfi. Both have already been acquitted in first and second instance.
The process takes place in the Appeals Chamber of the Federal Criminal Court of Bellinzona and is scheduled to end on Thursday. The two have been accused of unfair management and could carry a sentence of five years in prison. The prosecution had requested 28 months in prison in the first instance against Al-Khelaïfi and three years against Valcke, but suffered an almost total setback that led him to appeal.
In their civil sentence, the magistrates even described as a “bribe” the deposit of the villa that the former FIFA director bought after the negotiation with beIN. But, in criminal matters, the court could not convict of “private corruption”, since FIFA withdrew its complaint in January 2020 after an agreement with Al-Khelaïfi.
At the moment it has not been possible to demonstrate that the contract signed by FIFA with beIN for 480 million dollars for two World Cups, 60% more than for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, as ruled by the court. The Appeal should further clarify the matter.
