Champions League final highlights Al-Khelaïfi ties to PSG, UEFA, beIN and Qatar
FILE -President of French club Paris Saint-Germain Nasser Al-Khelaifi walks on the podium at the 49th ordinary UEFA congress, in Belgrade, Serbia, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)
FILE -PSG striker Kylian Mbappe shows his jersey with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi during a press conference,May 23, 2022 at the Paris des Princes stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File)
FILE -PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi, celebrates after the Champions League semifinal, second leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal at the Parc des Princes in Paris, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
FILE -PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi, celebrates after the Champions League semifinal, second leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal at the Parc des Princes in Paris, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
FILE -Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Paris Saint Germain's President Nasser al-Khelaifi attend the League One soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Nice, at Parc des Princes stadium, Nov. 29, 2014. (AP Photo/Francois Mori), File)
FILE -President of French club Paris Saint-Germain Nasser Al-Khelaifi walks on the podium at the 49th ordinary UEFA congress, in Belgrade, Serbia, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)
FILE -PSG striker Kylian Mbappe shows his jersey with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi during a press conference,May 23, 2022 at the Paris des Princes stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File)
FILE -PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi, celebrates after the Champions League semifinal, second leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal at the Parc des Princes in Paris, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
The Champions League final on Saturday will be an especially busy one for Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, perhaps the most multi-tasked official in world soccer.
As president of Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain since 2011, Al-Khelaïfi's main goal is seeing his team become champion of Europe for the first time against Inter Milan in Munich.
Advertisement
As chairman of the influential European Club Association, he leads 700 member teams increasingly taking over from UEFA in shaping sporting and commercial decisions for the Champions League. It also puts him on UEFA's strategy-setting executive committee.
As chairman of Qatari broadcaster beIN Media Group, Al-Khelaïfi controls exclusive Champions League rights to air the final in the Middle East, North Africa and much of South-East Asia.
'Nasser Al-Khelaïfi is considered a visionary leader in the media industry,' beIN says on its website, adding that in 2016 he 'also acquired the Hollywood film studio Miramax.'
He also is a minister in Qatar's government, a director of its sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and chairman of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) that owns PSG.
Advertisement
QSI and Al-Khelaïfi — a former tennis professional — also are key in the fast-emerging racket sport padel which has ambitions to be an Olympic sport, maybe in time for the 2036 Summer Games that Qatar and its tennis-loving Emir want to host.
Among the invited VIP guests in Munich is Thomas Bach, the outgoing though still influential president of the International Olympic Committee.
Saturday can be a peak of Al-Khelaïfi's 14-year career in international soccer that has fueled talk — despite ongoing investigations of his sports career by French authorities — he could be a future FIFA president.
Al-Khelaïfi declined comment to The Associated Press after a recent UEFA meeting in Bilbao, Spain.
Advertisement
In a statement, PSG said he 'doesn't want to be a distraction and wants humble focus for the team.'
From tennis to soccer
Now aged 51, Al-Khelaïfi was a tennis pro who played for Qatar in the Davis Cup, bringing him into contact with the future Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Al-Khelaïfi's ATP biography shows his ranking peaked at No. 995 and he played two matches on tour. The first in 1996 was against world No. 2 Thomas Muster in Austria. Brief footage shows a good-natured exchange of shots with Muster in a 6-0, 6-1 mismatch.
Al-Khelaïfi's career ended in 2003 and he joined the start-up Al Jazeera Sport as 'Director of Rights Acquisitions,' according to beIN.
Advertisement
Qatar stunned soccer in 2010, when FIFA awarded it 2022 World Cup hosting rights, and PSG was bought within months.
Rising in soccer
The rise of ambitious clubs fueled by Middle East sovereign cash — Qatar and PSG, Abu Dhabi and Manchester City — concerned the storied elite. The ECA helped UEFA introduce financial control rules for European competitions that saw both clubs deducted 20 million euros ($22.7 million) of Champions League prize money in 2014.
Still, while Man City did not get on the ECA board, Al-Khelaïfi was elected in 2016. Three years later he got one of two seats reserved for clubs on the UEFA executive committee (ExCo) — despite in-house cautioning about conflicts of interest.
Advertisement
Conflicted interests?
On election day in 2019 in Rome, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin was asked about potential conflicts of interest around Al-Khelaïfi. BeIN was, and still is, among UEFA's main clients also owning extensive European Championship rights.
Ceferin's narrowly focused answer was that ExCo members are not involved in approving commercial deals.
Any conflict worked in UEFA's favor in 2021 when ECA leaders launched the Super League project designed to rival and replace the Champions League, which beIN broadcasts.
PSG's refusal to join rebel clubs from Spain, Italy and England helped to undermine the breakaway that ultimately failed amid a fan backlash and British government threats of legislation.
Advertisement
In the fallout, Al-Khelaïfi took over leading the ECA and quickly repaired relations with UEFA and Ceferin.
One year later, UEFA opened a disciplinary case into claims the PSG president confronted the match referee after losing in the Champions League at Real Madrid.
When UEFA published the verdict Al-Khelaïfi was no longer cited and blame was put on sporting director Leonardo, who PSG had fired weeks earlier.
Challenges in France
Al-Khelaïfi is not always popular in France where PSG has won 11 of 14 league titles during Qatari ownership. His powerful role has attracted criticism, particularly from John Textor, the American owner at Lyon, including that PSG's funding model involving Qatari money allegedly breaks European Union laws.
Advertisement
The pair have argued about poor management of the league's TV rights. In leaked footage from a 2024 meeting of Ligue 1 club owners, Al-Khelaïfi called Textor a cowboy. Textor described his rival as a bully with a conflict of interest given his role at beIN.
Al-Khelaïfi's legal challenges in France include some not related to PSG. The recent preliminary charges about possible alleged corruption relate to his links to a French businessman.
Proceedings were dropped in relation to Qatari bids to host track and field's world championships, which Doha staged in 2019.
In Switzerland, Al-Khelaïfi stood trial twice and was acquitted both times on charges of inciting a top FIFA official to commit aggravated criminal mismanagement from 2013-15.
Advertisement
His lawyers said after the second acquittal in 2022 that "years of baseless allegations, fictitious charges and constant smears have been proven to be completely and wholly unsubstantiated — twice.'
___
AP Sports Writer Tales Azzoni contributed from Bilbao, Spain
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tottenham vs Paris Saint-Germain: UEFA Super Cup prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h
Tottenham have a chance at silverware in their first competitive fixture of the 2025-26 campaign on Wednesday, facing Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup. Spurs qualified for the tournament by lifting the Europa League in Bilbao last season, but plenty has changed at the club since then. A new manager has arrived, and there has been considerable turnover in the squad. It has been a summer of mixed results for Tottenham, who have experienced the highs of beating Arsenal, the lows of a 4-0 defeat at Bayern Munich, and the anonymity of a goalless draw at Luton Town in their pre-season outings. It is a baptism of fire for Thomas Frank, who will hope to pull off a shock upset in his first competitive outing as Spurs' head coach. It has been a challenging summer for PSG, who were beaten finalists in July's Club World Cup final and have not played since. They cruised to a first Champions League title last season and will hope to revive that form in Udine as they chase another European honour. Date, kick-off time and venue PSG vs Tottenham is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off on Wednesday, August 13, 2025. The match will take place at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine. Where to watch PSG vs Tottenham TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting from 7pm BST ahead of an 8pm kick-off Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Discovery+ app and website. Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport's live blog, with expert analysis from Matt Verri at the Bluenergy Stadium. PSG vs Tottenham team news Thomas Frank hopes Dominic Solanke will be fit in time for the match. The striker has travelled for the match despite being absent since the start of pre-season with an ankle injury. Destiny Udogie has also been deemed fit to fly, though Luka Vuskovic has been left at Hotspur Way. PSG's pre-match camp has been rocked by the news of Gianluigi Donnarumma's absence. The towering Italian has been left out of the squad amid reports he is set to leave the club this summer. New signing Lucas Chevalier is set to start between the sticks. Joao Neves is suspended for the tie after he was sent off in the Club World Cup final for pulling Marc Cucurella's hair. PSG vs Tottenham prediction Frank has his work cut out for him in this, the first competitive outing of his Tottenham tenure. PSG, at their best, are unplayable, as demonstrated when they tore Inter Milan limb from limb in the Champions League final earlier this year. They were effectively neutralised, though, by Chelsea in the Club World Cup final. Frank is renowned as an astute tactician and could also find a way to throw a spanner in PSG machine. But that is a tall ask against a star-studded side. It will take something spectacular for Spurs to bring a second trophy of the year back to north London. PSG to win, 3-1 Head to head (h2h) history and results This will be the first competitive meeting between PSG and Tottenham. They met in a friendly in summer 2017, which Spurs won 4-2 thanks to goals from Christian Eriksen, Eric Dier, Toby Alderweireld, and Harry Kane. Javier Pastore and Edinson Cavani were on target for the French, though Kevin Trapp was sent off. PSG vs Tottenham match odds PSG to win: 4/11 Tottenham to win: 5/1 Draw: 3/1 Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
European Super Cup: Excluded from PSG squad, Donnarumma responds
Gianni Donnarumma To finalize Gianluigi Donnarumma's departure this summer, PSG has excluded the Italian goalkeeper from the squad for Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup. However, the player's camp has fired back. Gianluigi Donnarumma is clearly being shown the door at PSG this summer. After failed contract extension talks and the arrival of Lucas Chevalier, the Parisian club is pushing the Italian shot-stopper toward an exit to avoid losing him on a free transfer next June. On Monday, Donnarumma was left out of the Paris squad for the UEFA Super Cup. Annoyed, the former Milan star's entourage responded with a touch of irony. Donnarumma's camp reminded RMC that he played a key role in PSG's Champions League triumph, directly contributing to their spot in this UEFA Super Cup. They also emphasized that Donnarumma remains one of the top goalkeepers in the world and that he won't leave just anywhere or under any circumstances. To secure the Italian's signature, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Manchester City have all entered the race.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Byron Allen's Media Group Sells 10 TV Stations For $171M
Gray Media has announced the acquisition of 10 television stations from Byron Allen's Allen Media Group. The company stated that the transaction to acquire the stations was for $171 million. With the recent acquisitions, Gray Media is entering three new markets: Columbus-Tupelo, Mississippi; Terre Haute, Indiana; and West Lafayette, Indiana. This will also allow Gray Media to strengthen its service to viewers in the seven other markets. The television stations to be sold are: Huntsville, AL, WAAY (ABC); Paducah, KY-Cape Girardeau, MO-Harrisburg-Mt. Vernon, IL, WSIL (ABC); Evansville, IN, WEVV (CBS/FOX); Ft. Wayne, IN, WFFT (FOX); Montgomery, AL, WCOV (FOX); Lafayette, LA, KADN (FOX/NBC); Columbus-Tupelo, MS, WTVA (ABC/NBC); Rockford, IL, WREX (NBC); Terre Haute, IN, WTHI (CBS/FOX); West Lafayette, IN, WLFI (CBS). The transaction between the two companies sis expected to be completed by the end of the year. This transaction takes place two months after Allen settled a $10 billion lawsuit against fast-food retailer McDonald's. The parties did not disclose the amount for which the suit was settled. The two companies came to an agreement before the scheduled trial. The entrepreneur sued the corporation over the company's alleged refusal to advertise with Black-owned companies. Allen released a statement about the agreement between the two corporations. 'We are pleased to find a resolution that maintains our business relationship,' Allen said in a written statement. 'During the course of this litigation, many of our preconceptions have been clarified, and we acknowledge McDonald's commitment to investing in Black-owned media properties and increasing access to opportunity. Our differences are behind us, and we look forward to working together.' Three years ago, the entrepreneur placed a $10 billion bid to acquire Disney's ABC Network, according to Bloomberg. The deal did not go through. However, less than two years ago, Allen also put in a bid to bring the BET Network back under Black ownership, but the parent company, Paramount, decided not to sell BET to anyone. RELATED CONTENT: For Sale: Byron Allen Puts Investment Bank In Charge Of Selling Television Stations Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
