January 26 – Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi (pictured) and former FIFA number two Jérôme Valcke will find out imminently whether Swiss prosecutors are to appeal against them both being acquitted of criminal misconduct, according to French media.
After a high-profile 10-day trial that gripped world football politics Al-Khelaifi, head of beIN Media and a member of UEFA’s executive committee, was found not guilty last October of aggravated criminal mismanagement regarding the allocation of World Cup TV rights.
Valcke was also acquitted of accepting bribes and criminal mismanagement while he was secretary general under Sepp Blatter from 2007-15 but was found guilty of a lesser charge of forging documents linked to World Cup broadcasting deals in Italy and Greece
Valcke, still serving a FIFA ban for unrelated ethics violations, was given a 120-day suspended sentence and ordered to pay FIFA €1.75 million in restitution. Prosecutors had asked for 28 months in jail for al-Khaleifi and a three-year term for Valcke.
The judgement was the first handed down in Switzerland in the 20 or so proceedings opened in over five years involving FIFA.
The full written verdict by Switzerland’s Federal Criminal court has now been submitted to the public prosecutor of the Swiss Confederation, who brought the original action and now has 20 days to decide whether to appeal.
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