Paris St-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi investigated over alleged conflict of interest

Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of Paris St-Germain and chairman of beIN Media Group, is under investigation in France over a suspected conflict of interest.

Paris prosecutors said on Sunday that the preliminary inquiry concerns Mr Al-Khelaifi holding both positions at the same time, according to Agence France-Presse.

The case relates to a meeting about broadcasting rights held between Mr Al-Khelaifi and representatives of the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) in July 2024. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed the investigation after a report by French newspaper L’Equipe.

Mr Al-Khelaifi has led Paris St-Germain since Qatar Sports Investments completed its takeover of the club in 2011.

He has consistently denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer told AFP that Mr Al-Khelaifi had always acted independently, impartially and objectively.

The latest investigation was opened last April after a complaint was filed by anti-corruption organisation Anticor. The case was subsequently assigned to specialist police responsible for investigating corruption and financial crime.

Mr Al-Khelaifi was also charged in February 2025 with complicity in the misuse of authority. That allegation relates to a shareholders’ vote involving a company, according to the report.

The investigation over the July 2024 meeting focuses on the potential conflict created by Mr Al-Khelaifi’s simultaneous roles in French football and at beIN Media Group, which is involved in sports broadcasting.

Previous allegations against him concerned suspected corruption linked to Qatar’s bids to host the 2017 and 2019 World Athletics Championships.

Those allegations were definitively dismissed in mid-February 2023 by France’s Court of Cassation. The court ruled that the French judiciary did not have jurisdiction to try Mr Al-Khelaifi in that case.