Former FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke & PSG President indicted in Switzerland

FIFA's former Secretary-General Jerome Valcke has been accused in Switzerland for alleged corruption in the attribution of football broadcasting rights. The charges have been pressed by Switzerland's Attorney General's office over allegedly accepting bribes, aggravated criminal mismanagement and falsification of documents in connection with awarding of media rights. 

PSG President also accused of corruption

Pertaining to the media rights related corruption, the office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has also filed an indictment against BeIN Media Group chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi and a businessman in the sports rights sector. Nasser Al-Khelaifi, one of the accused in the case, is the President of Ligue 1 club PSG. Meanwhile, the former Secretary-General of FIFA, Valcke, has been charged with accepting bribes. Al-Khelaifi is alleged to have given Valcke undue advantages before he was suspended and subsequently banned for 12 years.

READ | PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi Charged With Criminal Offences In Switzerland

According to sources, the PSG President had purchased a villa through a company and let Valcke live there without paying any rent. The total amount is said to be between €900,000 and €1.8 million. This was never conveyed to FIFA by Valcke as he was supposed to and thus "enriching himself" according to the statement. Valcke has also been accused of receiving three payments totalling about EUR 1.25 million to his company Sportunited LLC. 

READ | Tottenham Midfielder Dele Alli Furiously Slams Boots As Leipzig Haunt Spurs In UCL

It has been alleged that Valcke received these payments between 2013 and 2015 as he exploited his position as Secretary-General of FIFA to influence the award of media rights for Italy and Greece for various World Cup and FIFA Confederations Cup tournaments in the period between 2018 and 2030 in order to favour media partners that he preferred. 

Valcke was sacked as Secretary-General in 2015

Jerome Valcke was earlier sacked as the Secretary-General of FIFA after being found guilty in the 2015 FIFA scandal. The 2015 FIFA scandal involved the indictment of several FIFA officials over the alleged use of bribery, fraud and money laundering to corrupt the issuing of media and marketing rights for the FIFA games in America. 

In the case, Valcke was handed a 10-year ban from football which he challenged later. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport on July 27, 2018, dismissed his plea seeking to overturn his 10-year ban. 

READ | Erling Haaland Triumphs In Athletics Too As Dortmund Striker Holds Long Jump World Record

READ | Pep Guardiola Claims 'We Want To Fight To The End' To Confirm Man City Stay Despite Ban