Al-Khulaifi and Valcke before the Swiss court in the case of television broadcasting rights

 Qatari soccer official Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Jerome Valcke, former Secretary-General of the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA), appeared today, Monday, before the Swiss Federal Criminal Court, where they face corruption charges in television broadcasting contracts for various international tournaments.

According to the indictment, Valcke acquired a property in Italy in exchange for his efforts to grant television broadcasting rights in the Middle East and North Africa region for the 2022 and 2026 editions of the 2022 World Cup and other tournaments.

Nasser Al-Khelaifi heads the Qatari media group beIN Sports. He is also the president of French club Paris Saint-Germain and a member of the European Union Executive Committee (UEFA).

Al-Khulaifi and Valcke both denied wrongdoing.

The third defendant, a Greek businessman, was absent from the trial, citing heart problems.

Prosecutors accuse the Greek businessman of paying 25.1 million euros (48.1 million dollars) to Valcke in exchange for the media rights to copies of the World Cup and Confederations Cup tournaments in Italy and Greece.

And the Swiss news agency, Keystone - SDA, reported that judges in Switzerland decided to go ahead with the proceedings in his absence, despite their belief that he was trying to evade justice.