Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and FIFA’s former secretary general Jerome Valcke have been charged by Swiss federal prosecutors in connection with a wider bribery investigation linked to football broadcasting rights.
Swiss federal prosecutors filed an indictment against Al-Khelaifi charging him with inciting Valcke “to commit aggravated criminal mismanagement.”
Al-Khelaifi released a statement on Thursday describing the charge as groundless:
“As I have said vehemently and repeatedly for three years, the charges have not – and have never had – any basis whatsoever, either in fact or law. It is now – finally – indisputable fact that the 2026 and 2030 agreements were negotiated at arms length and without any improper influence in any form.”
“After the most forensic public, private, lawful and unlawful scrutiny of all my dealings, I have been cleared of all suspicions of bribery and the case has been dismissed definitively and conclusively.”
“While a secondary technical charge remains outstanding, I have every expectation that this will be proven completely groundless and without any substance whatsoever, in the same way as the primary case.”
Al-Khelaifi also requested Swiss authorities to open a criminal investigation into the case against him.
Charge list
- Al-Khelaifi: inciting Valcke to commit criminal mismanagement.
- Al-Khelaifi is accused of allowing Valcke exclusive use of a luxury villa in Sardinia without paying rent valued at up to €1.8m.
- Valcke: Accepting bribes, aggravated criminal mismanagement (several) and falsification of documents.
- An unnamed person has also been charged with incitement to commit criminal mismanagement and bribery.
Prosecutors say at the end of January FIFA informed them in writing they had reached an ‘amicable agreement’ with Al-Khelaifi and a partial agreement with Valcke, who is no longer a FIFA executive.
Football’s world governing body had withdrawn their criminal complaint in relation to bribery allegations in connection with the award of media rights for the World Cups in 2026 and 2030.
The Swiss attorney general’s office (OAG) says FIFA’s withdrawal had no impact on Thursday’s indictment.
