Swiss Public Prosecutor demands ex-FIFA official, Qatari national be jailed

The Swiss Public Prosecution yesterday demanded the imprisonment of Qatari national Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of the French football club Paris Saint-Germain, for 28 months, and the former FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke, for 35 months.

On Monday, the Swiss judiciary began an appeal against the acquittal of the defendants in a corruption case related to television rights for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups, before the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona.

The Swiss judiciary had previously acquitted Al-Khelaifi and Valcke on 30 October 2020, but the public prosecutor appealed the court’s decision, starting the second chapter of the trial on Monday. It is set to conclude tomorrow.

The Public Prosecution accuses Valcke of getting exclusive use of a luxury villa on the Italian island of Sardinia rent-free in exchange for his support in obtaining the broadcast rights for the beIN network for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups in the Middle East and North Africa, while Al-Khelaifi is accused of inciting Valcke to commit misconduct, aggravated criminal management and dishonest management.

Federal Prosecutor summarised 61-year-old Valcke’s accusations as seeking money to ensure a lavish lifestyle, while stating that 48-year-old Al-Khelaifi acquired Villa Bianca for €5 million ($5.5 million), before placing it at the disposal of Valcke, who admitted his request for assistance from Al-Khelaifi to obtain the villa before signing the contract in April 2014.

Both Valcke and Al-Khelaifi denied the charges, stressing that the matter was a private settlement unrelated to the contract between beIN Sports and FIFA in April 2014.

However, the public prosecutor believes that regardless of their claims, Valcke should have informed FIFA about the villa.

The judiciary was unable to convict them of “private corruption”, as FIFA had withdrawn its complaint in January after an agreement with Al-Khelaifi, the content of which was not announced.

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