Al-Khelaifi faces French probe over Ligue 1 rights conflict claims

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is under preliminary investigation in France over allegations of an illegal conflict of interest connected to the sale of Ligue 1 broadcast rights in 2024.The investigation relates to Al-Khelaifi’s dual positions at PSG and beIN Media Group and centres on a meeting with Ligue de Football Professionnel representatives in July 2024.The meeting took place one day after beIN Sports submitted a €100m bid for the rights to show one Ligue 1 match per week, an offer subsequently accepted by the LFP.Al-Khelaifi’s lawyer Renaud Semerdjian said: “The allegations made against Mr Nasser al-Khelaifi are without basis, neither legally nor factually.”He said Al-Khelaifi had “always acted in an independent, impartial and objective manner”.The preliminary investigation was opened in April following a referral by French anti-corruption association Anticor and has been entrusted to specialist anti-corruption and financial police.Anticor alleges that Al-Khelaifi took part in discussions over the approval of beIN’s offer despite also serving as chairman of beIN Media Group.It also alleges that he put pressure on other Ligue 1 club presidents to support the broadcaster’s proposal.Those claims are denied.beIN has previously stated that Al-Khelaifi holds the title of chairman but does not exercise executive or operational responsibilities within beIN Media Group or beIN Sports France, with those duties handled by chief executive Yousef Al-Obaidly.A source familiar with the situation has also said Al-Khelaifi largely recused himself from LFP board discussions involving beIN during the relevant period.The investigation is commercially significant because it touches directly on the governance of French football’s most important central revenue stream.Ligue 1’s domestic media rights process has been under sustained pressure in recent years, making transparency around broadcaster negotiations particularly sensitive for clubs reliant on central distributions.Al-Khelaifi also occupies a major position in European club politics through his chairmanship of European Football Clubs, while PSG remain one of the continent’s most commercially significant teams.A preliminary investigation does not establish wrongdoing and no conclusion has been reached over whether Al-Khelaifi committed an offence.French prosecutors will now assess the evidence around the 2024 rights negotiations before deciding whether the case should proceed further.