Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is facing a preliminary investigation in Paris over an alleged conflict of interest in French football television rights sales, the Paris prosecutor's office announced on Sunday.
The Anti-Corruption Financial Brigade opened the judicial inquiry on 24 April 2026 following a formal report submitted by Anticor, a French anti-corruption association.
Allegations Over Television Rights Deal
According to a source close to the case, Anticor accuses the Qatari executive of participating in a key meeting to validate a 100 million euro broadcasting offer from sports network beIN Sports while simultaneously serving as president of beIN Media Group.
Anticor claimed in its filing that Al-Khelaifi took an interest that compromised his impartiality, independence, and objectivity during an operation he was responsible for supervising. A source close to the investigation said the association alleged Al-Khelaifi applied heavy pressure to other club presidents to ensure the acceptation of the offer from beIN Sports, implying that he was the origin of the proposal.
The governing body of French professional football, the Ligue de Football Professionnel, ultimately accepted the 100 million euro offer from beIN Sports to broadcast a featured championship match per round.
Defence Denies Conflict of Interest
Legal representatives for Al-Khelaifi vigorously denied all wrongdoing. His defence lawyer, Renaud Semerdjian, told AFP on Sunday that the allegations against his client were entirely without foundation on both legal and factual grounds.
Semerdjian stressed that Al-Khelaifi has consistently acted with complete independence, impartiality, and objectivity under all circumstances throughout his executive duties.
French Football Governance and Media Rights
Al-Khelaifi has served as the president of Paris Saint-Germain since 2011, when state-backed Qatari investors purchased the French capital club. Under his leadership, the team has emerged as the dominant force in French football, winning multiple Ligue 1 titles and regularly competing in European competitions.
Alongside his role at Paris Saint-Germain, Al-Khelaifi serves as the chairman of beIN Media Group, a major international sports network based in Doha, Qatar. The network holds extensive international sports broadcasting rights, including domestic coverage of French professional football matches.
The Ligue de Football Professionnel is the governing body responsible for running France's top professional divisions, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. The organisation manages the commercial distribution and collective sale of television broadcast rights for French club football.
Anticor is a prominent French non-governmental organisation founded to combat political corruption and financial wrongdoing. The Anti-Corruption Financial Brigade, abbreviated as BFAC, operates as a specialized division within the French judicial police dedicated to investigating financial crimes and illegal conflicts of interest.
Clashes Behind Closed Doors
The preliminary probe comes after details of a turbulent meeting between French club executives in February 2025 were made public by the French television investigative reporting programme Complement d'enquete.
During the video recording of the discussion regarding television rights, John Textor, the owner of French club Lyon, referred to Al-Khelaifi as a tyrant. Al-Khelaifi responded to Textor by calling him a cowboy who had only recently arrived in France.
Joseph Oughourlian, the president of RC Lens, also challenged Al-Khelaifi during the exchange, telling him to show respect toward other club executives. Oughourlian added that Al-Khelaifi intimidated everyone present and stated that the concept of a conflict of interest appeared to escape him at beIN, Paris Saint-Germain, or both institutions.
