PSG Owner Under Investigation for Alleged Conflict of Interest in Ligue 1 TV Rights Deal

The Anticor association has filed a complaint with the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office against Nasser Al-Khelaifi, suspecting that the president and owner of PSG, who also heads beIN Media Group, used his influence to favor beIN's bid in the 2024 Ligue 1 television rights negotiations.

The complaint, dated March 3, alleges a potential crime of illegal conflict of interest. Anticor suspects that Al-Khelaïfi leveraged his multiple roles—in addition to the aforementioned positions, he is a member of the LFP's Board of Directors—to "attempt to influence the League's board of directors' decision in favor of the company he presides over."

This case emerges at a time when the Professional Football League (LFP) is already under preliminary investigation by the PNF (National Financial Prosecutor's Office) regarding the sale of 13% of its capital to the CVC investment fund in 2022 for 1.5 billion euros.

The controversy dates back to the summer of 2024, when negotiations led by Vincent Labrune, president of the LFP, for the sale of Ligue 1's domestic television rights collapsed, despite expectations of raising 700 million euros. Faced with the deadlock, two solutions were considered: the creation of an LFP-owned channel or an agreement with DAZN and beIN. On July 14, 2024, during a tense meeting of club presidents, the latter option was chosen. This deal stipulated that DAZN would broadcast eight matches per matchday for 400 million euros annually, while beIN would secure the final match for 78.5 million, plus an additional 20 million in sponsorships.

The content of that meeting was exclusively revealed by L'Équipe and France 2 in February 2025, exposing the power plays and accusations. Jean-Pierre Caillot, president of Reims, thanked "Nasser, not our friend the president of PSG, but Nasser, president of beIN," for the complementary proposal to DAZN's.

However, tensions escalated when Joseph Oughourlian, president of Lens, directly accused Al-Khelaïfi of a conflict of interest. "Nasser, you need to understand a concept that, visibly, escapes you at beIN, or PSG, or both, which is called conflict of interest," he stated, adding: "You intimidate everyone." Al-Khelaïfi, in turn, reacted heatedly, criticizing Benjamin Morel, general manager of LFP Media, for deeming the joint proposal "incompatible" and threatening to withdraw from negotiations.

The discussion grew even more heated with the intervention of Saïd Chabane, from Angers, who warned of the risk of losing Qatar as a partner after Canal+'s departure. In contrast, other presidents, such as Olivier Létang (Lille) and Damien Comolli (then at Toulouse), thanked Al-Khelaïfi and beIN for the offer, considering it a "miracle."