Kelaifi was cleared of bribery and criminal financial management

The president of Paris Saint-Germain and BeIn Media Group, Nasser Al Kelaifi, has been cleared of charges after the Swiss justice decision over allegations that he was exposed to bribery for the sale of television rights to the 2026 and 2030 World Cup.

Prosecutors had requested Kelaifi’s detention for 28 months, but were acquitted, as in the first instance, in October 2020.

According to his Swiss lawyer, Mark Bonad, his client was eventually acquitted because the allegations were unfounded and false.

“Today’s verdict is fully justified. After a relentless six-year campaign waged by prosecutors – who have always ignored facts and the law – our client is once again completely clean. Years of unfounded allegations, false accusations and ruthless slander have been proven completely unfounded – twice.”

However, the other two defendants did not have the same result. Former FIFA No. 2 Jerome Balk was eventually handed an 11-month suspended sentence after it was revealed he had received bribes of between €1.4m and €2.3m from Kelaifi for the assignment of the 2026 and 2030 World Cup rights Media.

Valk is accused of receiving financial support from the Qatari President to secure a €500,000 advance to buy a villa in Sardinia. Valk was required to report that he took the money and didn’t, so he “got rich illegally,” prosecutors said.

Greek businessman Konstantinos Deris has been given a 10-month suspended sentence for paying Valk around €1.2 million in three installments.

In return, Balk is said to have used his position in the period 2013-2015 to favor his “collaborators” in awarding the World Cup television rights to the Italian and Greek media.