Nasser Al-Khelaifi investigated in France over alleged conflict of interest

Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of Paris Saint-Germain and chairman of beIN Sports, is under judicial investigation in France over a suspected conflict of interest, the Paris public prosecutor’s office announced on Sunday.

The inquiry centres on Al-Khelaifi’s alleged involvement in the distribution of television rights for the French league during the summer of 2024. It follows a formal complaint from anti-corruption organisation Anticor.

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, the complaint led to an official investigation being opened in April. The case was assigned to France’s financial anti-corruption unit, a development first reported by French newspaper L’Equipe.

The investigation concerns events in July 2024, when Al-Khelaifi reportedly intervened in negotiations over an agreement to broadcast French league matches jointly between British platform DAZN and beIN Sports.

Under the proposed arrangement, DAZN was to pay 400m euros for the rights to show eight matches, while beIN Sports would pay a further 100m euros for one match.

People close to Al-Khelaifi said the Paris Saint-Germain president made the proposal at the request of several club presidents. They were concerned that the league might fail to secure a financially attractive broadcasting agreement.

DAZN later withdrew from the contract after failing to achieve the profits it had expected. That forced the French league to launch its own television channel to show matches from the competition.

Anticor has alleged that Al-Khelaifi’s involvement was intended to “influence the league’s board of directors’ decision in favour of the company he heads”, specifically beIN Sports.

The organisation’s claim focuses on Al-Khelaifi’s dual position as a leading figure in French football and head of the broadcaster that stood to benefit from the proposed agreement.

Nicolas de Tavernost, who was president of Ligue+, the channel created by the French league to show the competition, also raised concerns about a similar suspected conflict of interest during the previous winter.

De Tavernost had effectively reached an agreement with FIFA to broadcast all matches from the World Cup in the United States. He informed the presidents of the clubs, among them Al-Khelaifi, about the agreement.

No further details about the scope of the judicial investigation or any potential charges were included in the announcement by the Paris public prosecutor’s office.