Qatar threatens to withdraw investment from PSG & BeIn Sports over Nasser Al-Khelaifi indictment | OneFootball

A bombshell has hit the French capital this morning. According to a report from Agence France Presse, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi was indicted on 5th February with charges of “complicity in vote-buying and infringement on voting freedom,” as well as “complicity in abuse of power” in a case relating to French businessman Arnaud Lagardère and a reported attempt to influence a crucial vote by the Qatari sovereign fund that was a shareholder in his group.The news of Al-Khelaifi’s charges has clearly resonated in Doha, with Qatari officials reportedly threatening to withdraw investments in France – including BeIn Sports and Paris Saint-Germain. This is according to a report from RMC Sport journalist Arthur Perrot.“The Qataris have had enough of these abuses. False legal proceedings, blackmail, daily criticism, being blamed for the total incompetence of others—every problem in France is their fault. Every time they try to help, it’s supposedly for ‘soft power.’ This is pure abuse, and everyone has had enough,” a source close to the Qatari government even stated to RMC Sport. This is not the first time Al-Khelaifi has been the target of legal proceedings. His indictment for corruption in the Qatar bids for the 2017 and 2019 World Athletics Championships was dismissed in February 2023 by France’s Court of Cassation, which ruled that the French judiciary had no jurisdiction over the matter. Parisian judges are also investigating accusations of kidnapping and detention in Qatar, allegedly involving French-Algerian lobbyist Tayeb Benabderrahmane. Al-Khelaifi has denied these claims and has filed a counter-complaint.GFFN | George Boxall