Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is under investigation in France over suspected conflict of interest, prosecutors in Paris said on Sunday.
The preliminary investigation concerns Al-Khelaifi’s dual roles as PSG president and chairman of beIN Media Group. It relates to a meeting with representatives of the French professional football league in July 2024 over broadcasting rights, the prosecutor’s office said, confirming a report by sports newspaper L’Equipe.
The meeting took place a day after beIN Sports submitted a €100 million ($115 million) offer to broadcast one Ligue 1 match per week. The French professional football league later accepted the proposal.
The investigation was opened in April following a complaint from anti-corruption organisation Anticor and was handed to France’s anti-corruption and financial police.
A source close to the case said Anticor alleges that Al-Khelaifi took part in discussions over the approval of beIN Sports’ bid despite his position as chairman of beIN Media Group, which it claims created a conflict of interest.
The organisation also alleges that Al-Khelaifi pressured other Ligue 1 club presidents to support the proposal, according to the source.
However, Al-Khelaifi’s lawyer, Renaud Semerdjian, rejected the allegations.
“The allegations made against Mr Nasser Al-Khelaifi are without basis, neither legally nor factually,” he told AFP.
The lawyer added that his client had “always acted in an independent, impartial and objective manner”.
Al-Khelaifi has been PSG president since Qatar Sports Investments took over the club in 2011, with the ambition of turning the French side into one of Europe’s leading clubs.
He has faced several legal cases in recent years. In February 2025, he was charged with complicity in abuse of power in connection with shareholder voting at a company.
Earlier corruption charges linked to Qatar’s bids to host the 2017 and 2019 World Athletics Championships were definitively annulled by France’s Court of Cassation in February 2023.
The court ruled that French authorities did not have jurisdiction to prosecute him over the allegations.
