Nasser Al-Khelaïfi targeted by French authorities for alleged illegal conflict of interest over Ligue 1 TV rights
The Paris prosecution has opened a preliminary investigation against the PSG president for attending a meeting on TV rights whilst heading beIN Media Group.
PSG president under investigation by Paris prosecution for conflict of interest
The Paris prosecution has opened a preliminary investigation against Nasser al-Khelaïfi, president of Paris Saint-Germain and beIN Media Group, for a suspected illegal conflict of interest, according to DHnet. The facts date back to a videoconference meeting held in July 2024 concerning the awarding of broadcasting rights for Ligue 1 football.
According to a source close to the case, the anti-corruption association Anticor accuses al-Khelaïfi of participating in this meeting — organised within the framework of the Professional Football League (LFP) — whilst simultaneously presiding over beIN Media Group, whose subsidiary beIN Sports was a candidate to purchase these same rights.
By participating in this meeting, al-Khelaïfi allegedly "took an interest of a nature liable to compromise his impartiality, independence or objectivity, in an operation for which he was responsible for ensuring oversight", according to the terms of Anticor's report cited by the source.
On the eve of this meeting, beIN Sports had submitted an offer of 100 million euros to the LFP for the broadcasting of one Ligue 1 match per week. The LFP ultimately accepted this proposal. Anticor further alleges that al-Khelaïfi had "exercised strong pressure on the other presidents of Ligue 1 clubs" in order for beIN Sports' offer to be accepted, and had suggested that he was himself the originator of it.
Images of this meeting were subsequently made public by the France 2 television programme Complément d'enquête as well as by the newspaper L'Équipe.
Al-Khelaïfi's lawyer, Maître Renaud Semerdjian, firmly denied the accusations on Sunday to Agence France-Presse. "The allegations made against Mr Nasser al-Khelaïfi are without foundation: neither legally nor factually", he stated, adding that his client "has always acted in an independent, impartial and objective manner, in all circumstances".
Source: DHnet