PSG President Al-Khelaifi Faces Preliminary Corruption Charges in France

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been handed preliminary charges in a French corruption investigation, a judicial official informed The Associated Press on Thursday. The charges are unrelated to PSG and instead stem from Al-Khelaifi’s connections with a French businessman.

Al-Khelaifi faces accusations of complicity in vote-buying, harming voting freedom, and abuse of power linked to the Lagardère Group. However, he has not been placed under judicial supervision and denies any wrongdoing. Under French law, preliminary charges may lead to dismissal if no evidence is found or could result in formal indictment and trial.

The case involves Arnaud Lagardère, head of the Lagardère Group, who is suspected of misusing €125 million ($130 million) of company funds for personal expenses. According to Le Monde, Al-Khelaifi allegedly helped secure a favorable shareholder vote for Qatar Holding LLC, a subsidiary of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), in 2018. In exchange, a pro-Doha diplomat was reportedly promised a seat on the Lagardère board, AP reports.

QIA has strongly denied any misconduct, asserting that Al-Khelaifi had no influence over its decisions regarding Lagardère. A source close to the PSG president dismissed the allegations as baseless and suggested that he was being unfairly targeted due to his prominence.

Beyond his role at PSG, Al-Khelaifi holds significant influence in European football as a UEFA executive committee member, chairman of the European Club Association, and head of beIN Media Group, which holds broadcasting rights for the Champions League in multiple regions.