The Qatari president of Paris Saint-Germain, Nasser al-Khelaifi, is being investigated in France for suspected illegal conflict of interest, Paris prosecutors said on Sunday.
This investigation is connected to his roles with the Champions League winners and beIN Media Group. It also involves a meeting about broadcasting rights with representatives from the French football league in July 2024, according to the prosecutor’s office. This follows a report from L’Equipe sports newspaper.
The meeting took place right after beIN Sports offered €100 million ($115 million) for the rights to show one Ligue 1 match each week. The French professional football league later accepted this offer from beIN.
This investigation into al-Khelaifi started in April after a tip-off from the anti-corruption group Anticor. The case is now in the hands of the anti-corruption and finance police.
A source familiar with the case revealed that Anticor claims al-Khelaifi was involved in discussions about the approval of beIN Sports’ bid while being the chairman of beIN Media Group. This situation raises a conflict of interest.
Anticor also claims that al-Khelaifi pressured other Ligue 1 club presidents to back the beIN Sports proposal, according to the same source.
Al-Khelaifi’s lawyer, Renaud Semerdjian, denied the allegations.
“The allegations against Mr Nasser al-Khelaifi are baseless, both legally and factually,” he told AFP.
The lawyer stated that his client has “always acted in an independent, impartial and objective manner.”
Al-Khelaifi has been at the helm of PSG since 2011 when Qatar Sports Investments took over with the aim of making the club a top team in Europe. He has faced different legal issues in recent years.
In February 2025, he faced charges of abuse of power related to shareholder voting at a company.
Earlier charges against al-Khelaifi regarding alleged corruption related to Qatar's bids for the 2017 and 2019 World Athletics Championships were dropped in mid-February 2023. France’s Court of Cassation ruled that the French justice system did not have the authority to prosecute him.
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