In a significant development in international football governance, Paris Saint-Germain president and beIN Media Group chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi has been fully acquitted by Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court in a long-standing case concerning the allocation of FIFA World Cup television rights for the 2026 and 2030 tournaments in the Middle East and North Africa.
The case centered on allegations that Al-Khelaïfi provided former FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke with rent-free access to a luxury villa in Sardinia in exchange for favorable media rights deals. However, the Swiss Supreme Court upheld previous rulings that cleared Al-Khelaïfi of any wrongdoing, affirming that there was no evidence of bribery or incitement to criminal mismanagement on his part.
Conversely, the court confirmed the conviction of Jérôme Valcke, who was found guilty of accepting €1.25 million in bribes and committing forgery related to the awarding of World Cup media rights in Italy and Greece. Valcke received an 11-month suspended prison sentence and a suspended fine of 20,000 Swiss francs.
This ruling marks the conclusion of a high-profile legal saga that has spanned several years, reinforcing the Swiss judiciary’s commitment to addressing corruption within international football.
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