World Cup
WM: New prosecutor’s proposal for 28 months in prison in Al Qalaifi for TVs 2026 and 2030
Nasser al-Kalaifi is after talks with former FIFA no. 2, Jerome Valk, back in the dock in the 2026 and 2030 World Cup television rights case that his company acquired.
The President of Paris Nasser al-KalaifiHe was again at the defendant’s seat, this time in a Bellinzona Court of Appeal, in the case of the distribution of television rights to the 2026 and 2030 World Cups.
The Qatari businessman has been accused in the past of being treated favorably by the former FIFA Secretary General. Hieronymus Balkso that BeIN Sports, of which he is also President, acquires the rights.
Balk has since been convicted of corruption and expelled from FIFA, but the first-instance verdict in the case was acquitted in October 2020. FIFA had already dropped their lawsuit and Al Qalaifi and Balk were being asked to prove that they had not caused any financial damage.
When costs reached 400,000,000 euros, some 60% more than the previous two events, the Swiss court ruled that there was nothing wrong with reconciling the two factors.
The public prosecutor’s office immediately appealed, which is being discussed in the next few days. The new proposal again involves a 28-month prison sentence for the Paris boss and a member of the UEFA board of directors and 35 for Valk.
The decision of the Court of Appeals is expected in the next few weeks.
Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.